Pounding the Rock
by the7joker7
Summary: TK, Ken and Davis all decide to join their High School Basketball team after a surprisingly fun and successful JV run. Basketball fic, not for everyone, you've been warned.
1. Chapter 1

Alright. First, some context. I love basketball. I love sports in general, and though I probably watch football more and have studied football more over the years, I think as of now I understand the game of basketball more than any other sport. I love it, and I love interacting with it in any way, I played it for close to a decade, and...well, damn it all, I want to write a fanfiction with it.

So yeah, I'm just gonna say this ahead of time. This fanfiction will feature copious amounts of basketball games, basketball practices, and basketball discussion. There will be a story and plot, and elements that have nothing to do with basketball, but this story will be loaded with basketball. If you can not stomach the idea of that, then this story is simply not for you. I'm not saying you have to like or understand basketball to like this story (that's arguable), but if you don't think you can take reading basketball related things, it probably won't work. Just thought I'd clear that now before we start. So yes, you don't need to tell me that this is a basketball fic masquerading as a Digimon fic. I already know.

Now, if you don't think you'd mind reading about basketball but simply don't understand the game, fear not. I will be taking time, in story, to explain the game in laymen terms through an audience surrogate. So, by reading this story, you might even be able to learn how the game works. Maybe not immediately, but as the story goes along, the basketball terminology will be explained in the flow of the game.

Other than that...well, I like TaKari and it generally finds it's way into everything I write, so if you can't stomach that, the exits are located in the top left corner of your browser, top right corner of your browser, and top right corner of your browser tab. Other than being about basketball, this fic will be home to good, well-written dialogue, humor, friendship, bro moments, team-building, and character development. Or so I hope.

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Chapter One:

"It's still so weird, man," Davis said, looking up at TK. "Does it hurt to grow that fast?"

"Nah. It takes awhile to get used to moving around. Leg length, that sort of thing. Takes awhile," TK said, letting his long arms dangle at his sides.

"Officially six feet tall now," Ken added, coming up to the pair, having to look up even a bit more than Davis to look at TK's face. "I'm honored to know you. No, seriously. A six-foot tall fourteen-year old. It's an honor."

"Guys, it's really not as cool as people say. I mean, there are problems being six feet tall at fourteen." TK shrugged. "I mean, it sounds great, sure, but it's really not."

"Problems? What problems?" Davis bounced the basketball on the asphalt a couple times before placing it back at his side again. "What's hard about being six feet tall?"

TK smirked, looking around the sparsely populated outdoor basketball court. A thin fog hung in the mid-morning air, creating a chill. When the three teenagers stopped moving long enough, they could feel goosebumps forming on their arms, t-shirts and shorts doing little to guard them from the elements.

"Fine, I lied. It's completely awesome. You guys can't even imagine. It's the best." TK looked up at the basket, an orange rim hanging ten feet in the air on a white backboard with chipped black paint, held up by a metal pole.

"Boooorr-iiinnnggg!"

The three looked over at the metal bleachers against the chain-link fence surrounding the court, where Kari was sitting, wearing blue jeans, a red sweater, and pink converse sneakers. She had her hands up to her mouth to amplify her announcement.

TK smiled, giving her a dismissive wave.

"She must be thrilled too," Ken commented, looking over at their long time friend. "It's like she invested in a stock that just tripled in value."

"I dunno about thrilled." Davis looked TK up and down. "If I were her, I'd be worried. You might be out of her league now."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" TK asked, reaching down to poke the ball out from under Davis's arm and grab it.

"C'mon. Six feet tall, dashing good looks, basketball star...you may as well be Zac Efron at this point. Freshman or not, you know the Junior and Senior ladies will be making their moves on you any time now. You're taller than most of the Junior and Senior guys anyway. It's gonna happen." Davis watched TK turn towards the basket.

"Maybe it will," TK said non-chalantly, lining up into his shooting motion. Right hand on the back of the ball, left hand against the left side, right elbow pointing straight down, feet aligned with shoulders.

"You're telling me you'd turn down a Senior Cheerleader to stay with Kari? Because man, I'm telling you, I know these things, and it's only a matter of time before it happens." Davis glanced over at Kari, far enough away to not be able to hear.

"The whole cheerleading squad could throw themselves at me," TK said simply, tossing the ball up towards the rim, watching it fall right through the cylinder and through the white nylon net hanging from it, a perfect twelve-foot jumpshot. "I'm a one-woman man. And, as you know, Kari is an angel. Find me another girl who would not only come to all our games last year, but keep track of our individual statistics."

"One-woman man? C'mon, you're a quarter french!" Davis chuckled. "Deep down, like it or not, you are genetically inclined to forever pursue the dream of a Menage A Trois-"

"Davis, if you're trying to clear the way for you to make a run at Kari, I thought I'd let you know that even if you pulled it off I will never let you forget that you took TK's sloppy seconds," Ken interrupted. "Seriously, you will never forget it. I will call you twice a day for the rest of your life to remind you."

"Yeah yeah. It's nothing like that, I'm just saying it's gonna happen. Besides, me and TK are cool, if things don't work out with him and Kari he'd be fine with whatever I wanted to do." Davis grunted.

"Touch her, and I'll give you a paper cut on both your nipples," TK deadpanned, slowly moving to pick up the ball, which had slowed to a roll after bouncing a few times.

"Well, either way," Ken said before Davis could retort. "We're both very grateful for your growth spurt. Gives us a chance to take care of unfinished business."

All three looked down at the asphalt. So many great memories, and then one bad one to cap it off. Like an amazing movie with a disasterous final five minutes, or a spectacular television show with a crappy finale.

Needing to pick some sort of physical activity, and bored, the three had all signed up for the Junior Varsity Basketball team at Rakunan High last year. The three had figured that they could hold their own by practicing together a lot and learning to play off one another, particularly on a typically terrible team. They were more right than they expected.

By running an organized offense based on precision, the three ended up being leagues ahead of not only the rest of their team, but all of their opponents. It was a glorious season, accomplished almost entirely on the strength of organization and teamwork.

"Twenty-eight fifteen ten," TK said, looking at Ken. They all nodded. The memorable games had been discussed so many times, it took only a short phrase for them all to immediately know exactly what game was being talked about. Twenty-eight fifteen ten. The sixth game of that season. The opposing Point Guard couldn't dribble without looking down at the ball, and Ken decided to take full advantage. Twenty-eight points, fifteen assists, ten steals. It was a sight to behold. Ken never stopped harrassing the Point Guard on defense, poking at the ball and swiping errant passes. Fast break after fast break. And when running a set, they had no idea how to defend the pick and roll. None at all. Twenty-eight fifteen ten. They'd never forget.

"40 points on 15 shots," Ken looked at Davis. Game nine. Davis had a fireball coming out of his butt. In two minutes, it became obvious that the game was going to be all about getting the ball to Davis on his spots. The other Shooting Guard couldn't deal with his speed, couldn't get off the screens Davis ran through, couldn't recover in time to effect Davis's lightning fast shooting motion. And Davis just wasn't missing. He hit midrange jumpers. Later, he took a few more steps out and hit threes. Even later, he had the defense on a string, and pump-faked his way to the free throw line. 40 points on 15 shots. The basket may as well have been a mile in diameter that day.

"50 and 25," Davis passed the discussion on to TK. But of course. Probably the greatest game in the school's JV history. The best memory in a heap of great ones. Ken could run the offense, Davis could shoot the lights out, but this game helped confirmed the truth. TK was the star of the show. The stars aligned in game twelve. Just five feet five inches tall back then, TK still towered over the poor sap trying to defend him by almost six inches. Why the other team tried such a matchup, no one could guess. But it didn't stop Ken from getting TK the ball on the low block just about every single possession.

TK shot over him. TK backed him to the rim and laid it up. TK went around him after getting him in the air with a fake. TK got nearly every single missed shot, regardless of which team was doing the missing. It became almost comical and depressing after awhile, and it might have stopped in the second half if the unfortunate player hadn't made the mistake of trying to ask Kari out before the game. TK wanted to humiliate him at that point. Innocent mistake or not, TK just thought it was appropriate to embarrass him on the court for the next hour and a half. Just to cap it off, TK spent the second half using a series of fakes to force his diminutive defender to foul him, getting him to foul out with a minute and a half left in the game, just to add to the complete humiliation. And when it was all over, somehow, TK had accumulated 50 points and 25 rebounds.

29 wins and 1 loss. 13 more wins than the JV squad had ever had. Genuine excitement for the games that had never happened at the school before. They cut through the district tournament, gaining more confidence and momentum with each victory.

And then...

"How's the ankle?" TK said slowly, looking down at Ken's right ankle.

Ken smirked. "Fine. Of course it's fine. It was fine 48 hours later, it's been fine for over seven months."

District Junior Varsity finals. One last game to seal a memorable season. Everything laid out for it to happen. And Ken turns his ankle six minutes in. Of course.

"Good. Good," TK said absentmindedly.

That was that. Ken ran the offense. He got the ball to TK and Davis in their spots. He knew exactly how everything was put together, and put it together. They couldn't even remember the guy who had tried to fill Ken's void, but he just didn't have the timing down. He was one of the seven other players on the team who had taken a back seat to the three stars, settling for setting screens, playing defense, moving the ball, hitting the occasional open shot, and cheering. The offense just didn't move, Davis and TK didn't get the ball in their spots, and time eventually just ran out.

Fourty-something to thirty-something. They didn't really remember the score. Some really low scoring game like that, something embarrassing, something that made them feel positive they'd win by twenty if they could just run their offense right.

"C'mon guys, it happened, I thought we agreed to forget about it," Davis said, as TK swung the ball back up towards the basket from underneath the net, banging it off the backboard and rimming it in.

"Well, it's not like someone died. I really don't think we need to pretend it didn't happen." Ken shrugged. "I mean, we lost a game, but we had a lot of fun and got a lot of attention before that. It's not all that morbid, really."

"Still sucks."

So that was that. Ken's ankle was fine two days later, the school was very proud of their accomplishments, and all in all it was a fun way to kill the first four months of the school year. Nothing more.

And then, TK grew seven inches in four months.

Suddenly, it wasn't just a matter of being smart than everyone else. TK was bigger than everyone else. He spent some time in the gym, and he was stronger than everyone else. He looked like someone who should be playing basketball. It would have almost been a shame if he didn't. He had a real physical advantage. And it wasn't like the three had any better ideas for a high school physical activity.

"We'll finish what we started in four months," TK grabbed the ball off the ground again, this time slowly bouncing it to Ken.

"Well yeah, it's great to talk like that, but there's a difference between JV and Varsity. These guys...they might actually know how to defend a pick and roll, or how to run a zone. Totally different. 80 percent of the players in JV just don't understand the game." Davis bit his right cheek. "It's really too bad."

"Well, clearly you guys are completely lost out here without me," Kari announced, pushing her way past Ken and stepping between the three guys. "C'mon, you can stand around at home."

"Hey, we're talking here," Davis replied, arms out at his sides. "Come on, let the men talk."

"Let's do two-on-two. Something, anything that's not just standing around." Kari tried to poke the ball out of Ken's hands.

"After your growth spurt," Ken teased, circling the ball around his back to keep it away from Kari.

"God, you are such an ass," Kari huffed. She didn't particularly enjoy her four foot ten inch stature, and enjoyed barbs about it less.

"I'm getting some real Yoko Ono vibes here," Davis said, watching Ken play keep-away from Kari. "Seriously, stay in your lane."

"W-well, we could just work on the pick and roll. C'mon, we're gonna need it down pat, and we can do it with four people." TK suggested. "She can at least be a defensive stand-in for that."

"Alright, sure," Ken backed off away from the basket, stopping about twenty five feet away from it. "Okay, Kari you can...come up and play defense on me, and TK will-"

"I know what a pick and roll is!" Kari said, coming up to Ken and crouching down slightly. "You guys suck, I watched all your games last year _and_ kept track of statistics!"

"Yes, and you're totally awesome for doing that, but that doesn't mean you know what a pick and roll is-"

"Well, I do. Also, before we leave, you need to shoot some free throws. If you don't improve your free throws, you're gonna be afraid to drive to the basket at the end of games, you gotta get at least competent."

Ken looked at Kari blankly. Kari took the opportunity to turn around and point at Davis. "And you. You need to extend your range out to the three point line. All you're good for is shooting, you may as well learn how to shoot threes."

Davis looked over at TK. "O-okay, can you put a leash on her? How did this happen anyway?"

TK shrugged sheepishly. "I got her some books from the library, she watched the playoffs with me May and June, she looked up articles online...and it just kept going!"

"I'd make fun of you, but I actually really wish Yolei would take this kind of interest. I mean, that'd be cool, I'm actually sorta jealous." Ken shrugged. "Yolei spent ten minutes trying to figure out the purpose of having the net hanging from the basket." He pointed up at the hoop. "I eventually convinced her it didn't have a purpose and she lost interest."

"Alright, alright, c'mon!" Kari called out, motioning towards TK. "Set the screen. Me and Davis will defend it in a bunch of different ways and you guys have to react."

TK ran up next to Kari, Davis following behind, emulating a real game scenario. TK went up to Kari's right shoulder, pressing his chest up against her.

"Hello there," TK said dully, smiling down at her. Kari rolled her eyes as Davis came up next to TK, between him and the basket, as if he was defending TK.

"Oh, and you need to start playing defense," Kari added, looking up at TK. "Seriously, you're embarrassing me."

Suddenly, Ken dashed to his left, dribbling the ball in his left hand, going around Kari and using TK's body as a shield to prevent her from stepping in front of him. Kari quickly spun around, going around TK to get back to Ken. Davis instinctively stepped out a little bit as well to block Ken from going towards the basket. On cue, TK spun towards the basket and took off towards it.

It was a simple play. One of the easiest and most basic plays in the game. And yet, it continues to work and continues to be very hard to defend. Ken quickly swung the ball over Davis's head and beyond Kari's grasp to TK, who caught it. Four steps later, he easily laid it up against the backboard and into the basket, Davis giving half-hearted pursuit.

"Other teams are gonna start having a third defender cheat towards your side," Kari called out as TK jogged back towards her with the ball in hand. "Be ready to pass to the center if it happens."

"I can't believe you let her talk to you like that, man," Davis said, standing between TK and the basket again as Ken started to dribble.

"You laugh now, but at least she'll keep pushing me to excel. And you can't put a price on that." He again went up to press his chest against Kari's right shoulder. "Isn't that right, sweetie?"

Kari responded with a light elbow poke into TK's ribcage. Ken took off to his left again, Kari going behind TK to try to cut him off. This time, Davis stayed where he was, keeping between TK and the basket. Without Davis stepping out in front of him, Ken had a free lane towards the basket, and darted towards it. TK turned and took off in parallel with Ken.

Davis turned to run himself, running between Ken and TK, not committing to either. This was the rock-and-a-hard-place conundrum the play was all about. Davis could keep with TK, giving Ken a free run at the basket, or step over to Ken, leaving an out-of-position Kari to try to defend TK, even though TK was literally fourteen inches taller and weighed nearly twice as much.

Davis hung back towards TK a step too long, and Ken simply blew to the basket, easily laying it up through the rim.

"Very good, Ken. You can not be afraid to go to the rim if you get the lane!" Kari yelled out as Ken scooped the ball off the floor. "If they give it to you, take it! That's what the pick and roll is all about!"

"Maybe you should apply to be the coach of the team this year, Kari," Ken said, bouncing the ball hard a couple times. "I can just imagine you chewing out poor Mister Stewart the first time he tries to put TK at center or something."

"I promise I'll be a good cheerleader during games," Kari said haughtily. "I don't want to show you up in front of everyone. But out here, you'll hear it from me all day. Let's run through it again."

.

"You know this team won 9 games and lost 23 last year?" Ken said, looking over an old school newsletter from his seat on the floor. "And they were actually happy with that?"

"Of course we know. You've said it like twenty times in the last month. That team didn't have us, it's a totally different thing," Davis said from his spot on the other side of the room, laying stomach down on the carpet.

"Do they have anybody worth noting? Anything going on?" TK asked, sprawled out on Kari's bed, looking up at the ceiling. "C'mon, they gotta have something, you don't win 9 games because everyone on the team sucks, there's gotta be something."

"I've asked around, nobody watched most of the games," Ken insisted. "I'm not even sure they actually played games last year. If a High School basketball team plays a game and nobody's around to watch it, did it actually happen?"

"Ken, I am disappointed. You're a freaking...boy genius, wunderkind, whatever they call you now...and you didn't research what we're getting into? You're not already planning lineups and stuff?" TK snarked.

"Well, I'm sorry, I couldn't exactly watch the games last year. I was busy carrying you guys to the district finals." Ken shrugged. "We've got another six foot guy that they talk about in the newsletter recaps a lot, but...that's all I can say. We'll start figuring this out tomorrow."

At that moment, the door to the room swung open. Kari came in, carrying a tray with four large mugs on it. "TK, for the last time, I sleep on there, get off!" She demanded as she walked over to the floor area between the three and set the tray down. "You're going to kill the springs, get off."

TK shrugged. "I'm gonna be sleeping on this bed in a couple years anyway."

"Hmph," she grunted, sitting down on the edge of the bed heavily. She looked down at Ken and Davis, who were still looking at her with mildly awed expressions. "Come on, is it really that weird? TK asked me last year if I wanted to come to the games last year, and I decided as long as I'd be watching, I wanted to know what I was watching. That's all."

"I think it's great, like I said. Really, it beats Yolei insisting that the free throw line is four inches closer to the basket on one side of our court than the other, and then arguing about it for half an hour," Ken admitted.

"I'll get Yolei into it this year," Kari said quickly, folding her legs in front of her. "She's smart, and it's really a pretty simple game."

"Not possible. No way. I tried. Don't even bother trying." Ken shook his head.

"No, I'll do it! You'll thank me later. Now don't let it get cold." She pointed down at the series of cups on the floor in front of her.

"Kari, honestly," TK slowly pushed himself off the edge of the bed. "I don't know what I did to deserve you. But whatever it was, it could not possibly have been enough."

Kari gave a small smile. "The feeling is mutual. And those are always the best sorts of relationships."

TK leaned in and they rubbed noses before he gave her a quick kiss on the right cheek.

"I'm getting strong Doug Christie* vibes from you right now," Davis said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "Seriously, not good, you're freaking me out."

Kari sighed. "Well, I'd offer to get your girlfriend into basketball too, Davis, but that'd be pretty hard. I mean, I'd never be able to tell if she was even listening to me or not, what with her being invisible."

"Ohhh," Ken intoned, looking over at Davis's frozen expression. "Oohhhh."

"You've got a mean streak to you now, Kari," TK bent down to pick up one of the four white mugs. "I kinda like it."

"Ow," Ken added, waiting for Davis's reaction.

"I'm going home," Davis finally muttered, pushing himself into a standing position.

"Do you need me to walk you home?" TK called at his back as he started a quick march over to the door. "That was a pretty nasty assault you just took."

"Yeah man, you sure you can walk alright?" Ken added.

"W-whatever." Davis slinked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"That was definitely a flagrant," TK said, lifting the mug to his lips.

.

* - Doug Christie was an NBA player who played for the Lakers, Knicks, Raptors, Kings, Magic, Mavericks, and Clippers in his career. Although a fairly decent player, he became most well-known for his relationship with his wife, Jackie Christie. His wife famously did not allow him to even look at most other women, insisted on travelling with the team for almost all of his games, and arranged a full wedding every single year on their anniversary so the two could renew their vows. Doug went down as being probably the most whipped player in NBA history.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

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"Well, what do you think?" Davis asked, looking around the active basketball gym.

"We can build on this," Ken said quickly. Basketball were bouncing in every direction, high schoolers chasing them down. Random, wayward shots were being thrown up towards both baskets. "I think we can get more out of these guys than the team last year."

"That's no accomplishment." Davis casually grabbed one of the ball bouncing past him and threw it back where it came from. "I wish there was some more...organization here, we can't learn anything watching people jog around and try trick shots."

"Alright, okay...what do we need...what do we need..." TK looked around the gym. "You said there's another six foot guy, where is he..."

"He's underneath the basket on the other side," Ken said, pointing down the court. "Just standing around."

"Alright, so, if he's going to be the center...we should test him a little bit. Let's go run some stuff with him." TK started walking down the court, Davis and Ken following.

"Yeah that's good, uh...can you guys test his post defense? I want to talk with Stewart a little bit, y'know, try to make sure he sees things our way." Ken peeled off from the group towards the sideline, leaving Davis and Ken to stroll down the court towards the other vertically-gifted high-schooler.

"Yup, there we go." Davis nodded towards him underneath the basket. Standing there with his hand on his hips and looking around aimlessly, both were mildly alarmed by how he seemed to carry himself. He was definitely around six feet tall, and probably fifteen or twenty pounds heavier than TK, but the way he slouched it was almost as if he didn't want to be that big. He didn't seem particularly happy to be there, or particularly invested in what was happening around him.

"Hey! Hey," TK called out, smiling as he ran up to him. "Hello! Nice to meet you. How-how you doing? What's your name?"

"Oh, uh, hi. I'm Luke, uh...nice to meet you too. I'm...I'm alright." He nodded slowly. "I know you guys, actually, uh, could never watch the games of course...but I've heard a lot about you."

"Cool, cool. Uh, would you be willing to...do some drills? Just run through some stuff?" TK suggested, grabbing one of the balls rolling around underneath the basket.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. Like what?" Luke scratched the back of his head.

"Well." TK threw the ball to Davis. "Davis is gonna stand on the perimeter and look to pass the ball in to me on the post. And you're gonna be defending me."

TK could have sworn his face brightened.

"Oh! Alright, yeah, I can do that." He stepped out from underneath the basket as TK positioned himself. Standing a few feet away and to the right of the basket, just outside of the painted area, he looked to Davis and held his hand out for the ball.

Immediately, Luke came up to stand between TK and the basket, pressing his large frame into TK's back, holding his hand out slightly to make Davis's entry pass difficult. Slowly, Luke pushed TK away from the basket, doing it in subtle little bumps and pushes, not nearly enough to be called a foul but just enough to force TK to give up some ground.

Lazily, Davis tried to bounce it in to TK. Luke sprung forward, lunging to grab the ball before it got to TK, wrapping his large hands around it as Davis stood there stupidly.

Luke casually threw it back to Davis, then again ran back to take his position between TK and the rim.

"C'mon Davis, take this seriously." TK clapped a couple times.

"Right, right." Davis looked to pass it in again, but Luke continued to push TK away from the rim with his girth while waving his arm around between TK and Davis.

Finally, TK simply dashed out further away from the rim and Davis quickly threw the ball out in front of where he was running. TK grabbed it as Luke quickly came out to guard him. TK looked over his shoulder up at the basket. He had been pushed out about seventeen feet from it, having started at around five or six.

This guy knew how to protect the post.

TK started to dribble the ball, pounding it against the wooden floor, keeping his back to Luke. Slowly, he started to shuffle backwards, pressing into Luke's body, attempting to gain that lost distance back and slowly get himself in better position.

But Luke wasn't moving.

TK continued to throw his body into Luke, trying to get him to give some space and let him start approaching the rim, but Luke may as well have been a big piece of concrete. He didn't give an inch. TK pushed back as hard as he thought he probably could in a game situation without being called for a foul, but he couldn't get more than a couple meaningless inches. At this rate, if he tried to push him back onto the low block, he'd end up being late for dinner by the time he got there.

So he spun to his left and tried to go around Luke. This seemed to work. TK was just a step faster, and he got around Luke and took off towards the basket. Luke could get back in front of him and just ran in parallel.

TK got up by the rim and went up for what he assumed would be a fairly simple layup. But somehow, Luke timed his jump just right, got his hand in just the right position, and swatted the ball out of bounds just as TK let it go.

As TK looked back to ponder what just happened, Luke quickly ran to grab the ball and throw it back at Davis. It was the perfect way to play it. Luke wasn't fast enough to stay in front of TK, and fouling him would defeat the purpose of the exercise, so he just kept up the best he could. It was a one on one drill, so there wasn't going to be another teammate running in to get in front of TK, so the only play left was to go for the block.

But to actually block it...the perfect jump, the perfect timing...it was one heck of a defensive play. TK got himself back into position, a smile on his face. Maybe it wasn't as immediately satisfying, but in a way this beat posting up skinny kids eight inches shorter than him.

"You're...uh, that was good," TK said slowly as Luke bodied him up again.

"Thank you," Luke said simply. Again, Davis quickly bounced it out several feet from where TK was standing and TK dashed to get it, Luke hounding him the whole way. This time, TK had been pushed out about fourteen feet from the rim. Again, he kept his back pressed into Luke's chest and started to dribble.

This time, he swung to his right, going the opposite way, hoping to run down the center of the lane and try a layup from the other side. But Luke had guessed it, and shuffled back to stay in front of TK. This time, Luke guided TK away from the basket, pushing him towards the left side of the court without touching him, meaning the only way TK could get to the rim was if he ran right through Luke.

TK thought about trying a left-handed hookshot from the elbow, maybe a thirteen foot shot, but he was right-handed and knew he would just embarrass himself. So he put the ball in his right hand, stopped suddenly, spun the opposite way and tried a right hook instead.

This maneuver took so long, Luke had no problem getting his hand up and completely blocking TK's view of the basket. TK heaved it up and watched it clank off the right side of the rim. Not just a miss, a bad miss.

Quickly, Luke ran after the ball and threw it back to Davis, who at this point was glancing at TK with a raised eyebrow.

"A-again." TK ran back down to the block, Luke coming in to body up. TK was running out of tricks.

Again, Davis repeated the process of throwing it a few feet in front of TK so he could run out and grab it before Luke could. On catching it, he immediately spun and went into a shooting motion, hoping the quick move would surprise Luke.

All Luke had to do was put his hand up in TK's face, and TK again couldn't see the basket. Another wild shot with practically no chance of going in. Off the front of the rim it went.

"Are you sure this team lost 23 games last year?" Davis asked as Luke chased after the ball and threw it back to him. "I mean, maybe the paper got the win and loss columns mixed up?"

.

"Now, you're the coach, and I have full respect for that. But as I'm sure you've heard, me and my friends had a lot of success last year on the Junior Varsity team, and we did it using a very organized and precise offensive set. Lot's of pick and roll, running a shooter off screens, cutters in the lane...I think it would be beneficial for all of us if we worked to integrate those things into the offense this year." Ken patted Coach Stewart on the back. Stewart was better known at the Chemistry Teacher at the school, balding man in his late forties.

He stood there silently for a few seconds, looking at Ken.

"Do you wanna coach this team?" He finally asked.

"N-no! Not at all, you're absolutely the coach and it's totally up to you! I just want to talk about-"

"I'm not kidding, actually. This whole thing is taking _decades_ off my life. I used to like this game, you know. Like it a lot. After three years of coaching this team, I'd be more than happy to pass it off to anyone who'd take it. So seriously? Player-coach?"

"N-no thank you, listen, I understand losing can have that kind of effect, but I really think that...this team can go places if handled in the right-" Ken ducked as Stewart swung his hand around and pointed down the court, to where TK and Luke were squaring off.

"Look at him! Look at how Luke pushes his man off the block. Look at how he stays in front of him. Look at how he doesn't foul, gets his hand up, times his blocks. He should be a national treasure! He's amazing! You don't see kids with his feel for defense."

Ken looked over. TK spun and faked a jumper, trying to get Luke into the air. Luke's hand went up with the shot, but he never left his feet, leaving TK to again drive to his right with Luke hounding him the whole way. TK managed to avoid getting blocked by running under the opposite side of the rim and reversing it, but Luke still got his hand up and contested it without fouling. The ball bounced harmlessly off the back of the rim back towards Davis.

"Look at the way he plays defense! And you know what?" Stewart looked at Ken. "Nobody even notices!"

"Sir, I-"

"The other players get angry at him because he can't shoot. It's the most inane thing I've ever seen! The crowd doesn't cheer him. It's enough to make me hate this game! He goes out there every game and guards the paint like a pitbull, but _nooooo_, he's not worth the roster spot because he doesn't score. He could go this whole season without shooting once, and he wouldn't mind. Is that mindset applauded? No. They cheer for Jason." He motioned towards one of the kids running around the court. "Y'know, he's _not_ a bad kid, or a bad player, but...it's so depressing! Isolation, isolation, isolation! I think he has the ball in his hands 90% of the time. People just don't get it! You can't win like that!"

"Look, I understand your frustration." Ken turned back to Coach Stewart. "Listen. I can turn this thing around. We can turn this thing around. How about it?"

"How about what?" Stewart raised an eyebrow.

"You let me put this team together, and I make you like this game again. Trust me. I can do this. We can do this. The pieces will fall into place if I give them the chance to fall into place." Ken nodded, smiling.

"Oh...yeah, sure. I'm not getting out of this job anyway, knock yourself out."

"Excellent!" Ken clapped. "Now, if you'll excuse me." He darted off towards TK, Luke and Davis. TK was running past Luke to the basket, ready to go up for a layup, Luke ready to block it. This time, TK reached deep into his bag of tricks, extending the ball out like he was going to lay it up, then pulling it back. Finally, Luke was fooled, flying past TK as he spun around and shot it up, banking it off the backboard and into the bucket.

"How's it going?" Ken asked, running up next to Davis.

"TK's posted him up about...twenty times now," Davis answered as TK threw the ball back up to him.

"And?" Ken eyed the pair getting into position again down low.

"TK's scored four times." Davis threw the ball back in to TK.

TK tried to back Luke down again, pounding the ball against the floor and throwing his weight against Luke. This time, Luke was giving. Slowly, foot by foot, each thrust back put TK closer to the basket. Luke must finally be wearing down.

Just as TK was planning his move, Luke suddenly jumped back several feet just as TK gave another emphatic bump backwards. Expecting his body to crash and be stopped by Luke's large body, TK's momentum caused him to take several out of control steps backwards, lose the ball, and eventually fall to the floor.

"V-very good," Ken said, quickly stepping in. "Luke, right?"

"Yeah," Luke replied, watching TK get up.

"Hi, I'm Ken, and I'm going to be the starting point guard on this team probably, so I'll be controlling the ball most of the time. And I just wanna get something straight right now, I'm never gonna pass you the ball."

Davis blanched, immediately stepping towards the two. TK held his hand up towards Davis.

"Ken, wha-"

TK waved Davis off. "Let him talk, be quiet."

"But he-"

"Davis, look. I've known you both for a long time. And he's a lot smarter than you. He just is. Sorry." TK shrugged.

"Okay, maybe not never," Ken continued, as Luke watched him blankly. "I mean, if you're right underneath the basket, and there's nobody within five feet of you, I guess you might see the ball. But trust me, I will never run offense through you, ever. Got it?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Excellent! Plan accordingly. Alright, let's try some pick and roll!" He went to grab the ball from Davis.

"Can't believe it. I've never met you before, and you're the only guy here who understands me." Luke jogged up to the top of the key.

"What just happened here?" Davis asked as he handed the ball to Ken.

Luke sighed. "Look, it's kind of embarrassing but..." he looked down at his own large hands. "A few years ago I broke my hands falling out of a tree, and they didn't heal quite right, and...now I can't really shoot."

"Oh. Oh, that's terrible," TK mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"It's not that bad but...well, my shooting motion is screwed up. So I'm a basketball player who can't shoot." He shrugged. "But I'm really tall, and I like the game, so here I am. All I wanna do is play defense and rebound, seriously. Last year they...they kept thinking I should be shooting since I'm taller than just about everyone, and...well, you keep missing, they start liking you less...almost didn't join the team this year. But if you're telling me I don't have to shoot, sign me up for that."

"See? He is smarter than you," TK murmured to Davis.

"I'll never ask for a single point," Ken said, motioning for Davis to come up and guard him. "Alright, let's run through it."

TK ran up and pressed his chest against Davis's shoulder, Luke staying between TK and the basket. Ken made for the left, the same play as it always was, using TK as an obstacle for Davis so Ken could get a lane to the basket. Davis went around TK, Ken using the split second advantage to blow into the lane when Luke didn't step out. TK spun and ran to the basket, Luke keeping between him and Ken.

Luke never committed to stopping Ken, so he swooped in to lay it up. However, Luke lunged forward the moment he saw Ken commit to attacking the basket, leaping with his hand outstretched to slap the shot out of bounds.

"Well," Ken grunted as he watched the ball roll against the gym wall and bounce back towards him. "Kari has nothing on you as a help defender."

.

"This is such a weird game," Yolei said airily, looking around the gym at the assorted high schoolers running around and shooting balls at the baskets haphazardly. "Who's winning? Why is the scoreboard off? Did they forget to keep score?"

"This was a mistake," Kari said, looking around the gym. "I regret this."

"No seriously, is Ken playing well?" Yolei's eyes darted around the gym.

"You're messing with me right now, right?" Kari rolled her eyes, hugging her knees close to her chest, tapping her right sneaker on the metal bleacher seat in front of her.

"Yes, but I still have no idea what I'm looking at, and I blame you for that," Yolei said, folding her legs in front of her. "Do I have to be here?"

"No. I'm not holding a gun to your head, of course you don't have to be here. But, I think ultimately, if you gave it a chance, you'd enjoy yourself and have another topic to discuss with Ken."

"We have plenty to talk about!" Yolei huffed. "What are you implying? That I'm not smart enough to be with boy genius?"

"No, I'm not implying anything, just...look, here's basketball. You've got two teams playing each other. Each team has five players out on the court at any given time, and usually teams keep five or six players on their bench. Throughout games, they'll sub players in and out, but always five on the court at any one time."

"Alright, okay, that's pretty easy." Yolei nodded.

"Each team has one basket they defend, and the other team is trying to attack the basket the other team is defending," Kari continued. "Teams score points by shooting the ball in the basket that the other team is defending. Games are 32 minutes long, divided up into quarters of eight minutes, and whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins."

"I'm following," Yolei said, rubbing her hands together in front of her.

"Of course you are, you're really smart! This is really a pretty simple game. So, there are five players out there for each team, and usually each guy plays one of five positions." Kari cleared her throat. "First, you have the 'Point Guard', and pay attention to this one because this is what Ken plays. Typically, the point guard is the shortest of the five-"

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in," Yolei snarked. "You just wait. Ken has good genes. He'll break six foot two or everything we know about genetics is a lie."

"I didn't...just pay attention. So, the point guard is usually the one who dribbles the ball around. He sets up the offense, does a lot of passing...again, there are exceptions, but the point guard basically sets the offense up."

"So Ken's the leader of the pack. Surprise surprise." Yolei bit her lower lip. "Keep going."

"Then you have the 'Shooting Guard', which is what Davis plays. There are a couple different ways to play that position, but generally shooting guards...well, shoot. Usually a little bigger than the point guards, they might run around without the ball to get open, catch the pass, and shoot it. Sometimes they'll control the ball, maybe try to get close to the basket to shoot it. Davis likes to just catch and shoot." Kari nodded to herself, feeling good about imparting knowledge, regardless of the topic. "Next up is "Small Forward", again a little bigger, and they...they can do a lot of things. It depends. Some shoot, some dribble, some go to the basket, some rebound, some play defense, some combination...lot's of different things are possible."

"It is so weird that you know all this," Yolei interrupted. "If you start wearing a do rag and get a tattoo I'm gonna be really freaked out."

"Okay, first of all, racist. Second, plenty of girls know sports. It's the new thing. Great way to rope in guys. Keep it in mind." Kari tapped her hand on the bleacher seat next to her. "Anyway, then you have 'Power Forward', which is what TK does. They're big guys, a lot of times they play close to the basket, catch passes and try to score from in close. They get rebounds, sometimes they can shoot a bit. And finally, you have the 'Center' who's like the power forward, but even more so. A little taller, play closer to the basket, less likely to be able to shoot...that about sums it up."

"Will there be a test?" Yolei leaned back against the top of the bleachers.

.

"Guys, I think we got something here," Davis said, watching one of the hopefuls almost mechanically take basketballs off a portable metal rack next to him, then turn to hoist them up at the basket. Standing behind the three-point line, at a 45 degree angle from the basket, he was a good 24 feet away. Every shot looked the same, and he was sinking them.

"Quincy," Ken said under his breath. "I've been watching him for awhile. I guess he's a freshman, but he didn't play JV last year. He can shoot the lights out. He's got that consistent shooting stroke, knows what he's doing. I like it."

"He's got enough size to play small forward...I think we've got a starting five!" TK clapped. "Now we just have to hope Stewart sees it the same way-"

"I wouldn't worry about that. Mister Stewart is pretty jaded, I think I'll be able to hold sway. I'll talk to him." Ken nodded. "There's some decent pieces here...there was another guy here who could shoot, but he's so short he'll be hard to play...I'll start putting rotations together."

"Alright, alright!" Stewart called out suddenly, clapping his hands until the gym slowly stopped fooling around and gave him their attention. "I guess it'll look bad on my end-of-year evaluation if I just stand here the whole time, so let's do some drills."

"A fountain of inspiration, this one," Ken said as the three joined the dozen or so gathering around their unwilling coach.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

.

Ken sat on the floor, legs crossed, looking down at the three pieces of lined paper on the floor in front of him. Hands up beneath his chin, he looked deep in thought.

"Problems there, chief?" TK asked, seated on the front edge of Kari's bed. Kari was laying back on the bed, head on the pillow, eyes closed. Davis was laying down on the floor next to the bed, looking at Ken.

"It's not exactly my dream team," Ken admitted. There had been three practices over the last week and a half. Shooting drills, dribbling drills, three-man weave...basic things. Didn't paint the full picture at all, but it helped fill in some holes. Ken went to work like a scientist in a labratory. It was clear Coach Stewart didn't have much interest in coaching this team up, and Ken would have free reign on influencing the way games were played.

"Well, we have a starting five, that's most of the battle right there," Davis mentioned.

Ken shook his head. "I think we need to bring Quincy in off the bench."

"What? No, he's perfect! Camp him behind the three point line, maybe teach him to run off screens, he fits in with the starters great," Davis insisted, sitting up.

"All he can do is shoot, we already have you for that. We need another scorer off the bench," Ken muttered.

"Well, yeah, but our games are still different. Besides, we already have a starting center who can't score, and...well, no offense Ken, but you can't really shoot from outside twelve feet-"

"None taken," Ken interjected.

"And...well, who starts at small forward? Marcus?" Davis asked. "He's not good at anything."

"And he knows it. He's a senior, he's been on the team his whole career, and he plays hard." Ken tapped one of the paper slips in front of him. "He'll play in our offense."

"Plays hard," Davis repeated. "Look. When someone says that a girl has a great personality, it means she's ugly. And when someone says that a guy plays hard, it means he's not good."

"Reason sixteen why you don't have a girlfriend," Ken said tartily, still looking down at the papers.

"The point is, he's another guy who can't score. That's two starters who can't score, and you can't shoot unless you get in close, it's dangerous." Davis shrugged. "I'm just saying."

"He's not that bad. He's a senior, knows how to play...maybe he's not physically gifted, but he can play a bit. Besides, Quincy worries me. He's such a great shooter in practice, but he didn't play on the JV team last year. Just makes me wonder. We know what we're getting from Marcus, we don't know what we're getting from Quincy."

"Alright, sum it up for us." TK leaned forward, looking at Ken.

"Me, you two, Marcus and Luke start," Ken explained. "Offensively, same old stuff. Pick and roll, get it to TK in the post, run Davis off screens, cutters in the lane when TK's in the post. I think it'll work. Defensively, it's great. We'll dominate rebounds, TK and Luke in the same front court will be good for at least twenty-five total rebounds a game. Marcus plays hard and he's smart, I play good defense on the perimeter, we all know Luke..." he pointed at TK. "If you man up and learn to play defense this year, that's a juggernaut."

TK held his hands out at his sides. "What about Davis? He doesn't play defense!"

"I don't need him to play defense. You're six feet tall, there's no excuse." Ken chewed on the tip of his left index finger.

"Hmph," TK grunted.

"He's right, you pansy," Kari said, scooting herself down the bed. "_I _could score on a pick and roll against you. Now," she pushed both of her feet into TK's lap, "my feet are cold."

TK chuckled, then took her small right foot inbetween in two large hands and started to rub it.

"Then put on socks," Davis said under his breath.

"Reason seventeen why you don't have a girlfriend," Ken shot. "Anyway, the second unit. It's gonna be ugly. Derrick can shoot, we can stick him at point guard and he'll be alright for short periods, but he can't run the offense. Quincy is basically the same thing at small forward...so we can play them together with Jason."

"Let Jason run the second unit, give him a few minutes every game to do what he wants, minimize his negative impact potential." TK started to rub Kari's left foot. "It works."

"But then you have Vincent at power forward and Steve at center, I don't like that at all. Vincent's soft and Steve looks like a five foot guy who just suddenly had his mind transferred into a five foot ten body." Ken shook his head. "The less we have to play the full second unit, the better."

"We can play the Derrick-Jason-Quincy frontcourt with TK and Luke, maintain some size and rebounding," Kari said, putting her hands behind her head. "Smallball. Derrick at point guard, Ken at shooting guard."

"For the time being, either Ken or Jason should be in the game at all times. And one of either Davis, Derrick or Quincy," TK said thoughtfully.

"It's a team," Ken said. "Flawed, but a team nonetheless. Scrimmage tonight, we'll see how the offense flows."

.

"Alright, so," Kari continued, looking out at the court. "Both teams are trying to score points in the other basket while protecting their own basket. If you put the ball in the other team's basket, your team gets two points, and after a scored basket, the other team gets possession. If you miss, both teams can try to grab the missed shot."

The two of them were watching the team scrimmage, the starters going against the bench. Kari was taking every opportunity to explain what was going on to the still-confused Yolei.

"You see that white line painted on the court?" Kari said, pointing at a white arc that formed a half-circle, more than twenty feet from the rim at all spots. "If you shoot while standing behind that line and it goes in, it's worth three points."

"Then why doesn't everyone just shoot from behind that line?" Yolei asked, scratching her head.

"Well, it's not that easy," Kari explained, remaining patient.

"It's geometry and physics. How hard can it be?" Yolei shrugged.

"Right, well, they don't. Maybe you should take over as coach, I dunno." Kari cleared her throat. "Now, there are five major statistics that are typically kept count of for players, and each statistic represents a different way to contribute to a team in a way that helps them win. First, of course, you have points. Then, rebounds. If a player shoots the ball at the basket and misses, and someone grabs the ball, that player gets a rebound."

"Why's the scoreboard off? You said this was a game, right?" Yolei pointed up at the black light display up above the court, which was indeed off.

"It's a game, but it's just a scrimmage. Just like a practice game, and it's starters against the bench players. There's no point in keeping score, it's just a practice. The starters are winning by a lot, no need to show that off to everyone." Kari watched Ken throw the ball in the post to TK, who immediately spun past his defender and laid it up into the basket. "Third, there are assists. Basically, if you pass the ball to a teammate, and they score a basket in the next second or two, you get an assist. Ken does a lot of that. Fourth, blocks. If someone on the other team shoots the ball, and you manage to deflect the shot away so it misses, you get a block. And then, steals. If someone on the other team has the ball and you take it away from them, that's a steal."

"Points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals. Cool," Yolei said. "Pretty easy."

"Oh yeah! And if someone shoots it, and someone on the other team hits or bumps them while they're shooting, they call a foul on the defender. The player who was shooting gets to shoot two shots from the free throw line, right there." She pointed at a circle painted on the court, about fifteen feet from the basket, with a line down the middle. "Each shot is worth one point, and nobody can guard. You just get the shots with everyone else standing around. Like what Ken is getting right now."

.

Ken dribbled the ball a few times on the floor, looking at the other players lined up down the lane. This made him nervous, for no real reason. All the players just standing there, watching him, trying to do the one thing at this game that he just wasn't very good at.

He tried to mentally block them out, but he was too smart for that. He could imagine all he wanted; they were there. Now, he was also smart enough to know that it shouldn't make a difference, but it did.

Slowly, he bent his knees, got into a shooting position, then lifted up and shot it. Swished it right through the basket. If only he could do that exact same thing every single time.

"That's the way," TK said, punching the ball back to Ken. Ken nodded, catching it. He started going through the same process again, trying to do everything the exact same way.

He bent his knees, put the ball back in front of him, and shot it again. Exactly the same way, exactly the same result. Right through the basket. That's a nice confidence boost. Ken started to retreat back down the court as Jason grabbed the ball, stepped out of bounds underneath the basket, and threw the ball in to Derrick.

Ken, Davis, Marcus, TK, and Luke against Derrick, Jason, Quincy, Vincent, and Steve. It really wasn't a fair fight, but the two lineups needed to learn how to play together. TK could have scored on every single possession against Vincent and Steve if he wanted to, but this was a time to try things out.

The starters all fell back behind the half-court line as Derrick dribbled the ball up for the bench. Ken backed up right behind the three-point line as the bench set up their offense. Tragically, their offense was essentially the same play over and over. Derrick got the ball to Jason, Jason dribbled around, then drove to the basket. It had become painfully easy to see that, with all the losing in recent years, some bad habits had been picked up.

Well, some habits had to be broken.

Jason was up on the right side of the court, a few feet from where Derrick was going, calling for the ball. Derrick picked his dribble up and tossed it towards him.

Ken sprung forward into the path of the ball. It felt cheap, but nothing good was going to come of the bench running this play practically every single time. It was the only way they'd learn. Ken grabbed the ball and immediately sprinted down the court dribbling it, Derrick quickly running back to try to get in front of him.

Ken darted for the basket, no one in front of him, Derrick running in parallel to his right. After passing the free throw line, Ken listened closely. Footsteps right behind him.

Ken jumped up, but instead of raising the ball up to the basket, simply tapped it behind his back, almost as if he was leaving it behind. Derrick went up with him, trying to block the shot that Ken never put up, looking back to see TK all by himself, catching the ball under the basket with no one close.

TK went right up and put it in the hoop, the easiest two points he'd have, immediately running back down the court with Ken. Derrick scooped the ball up, stepped out of bounds, and threw it in to Marcus as he came running down the court.

.

"Can you explain that to me?" Yolei asked, pointing at the basket as Derrick threw it in to Jason. "Ken could have scored, but he gives it to TK so he can score."

"It's a mentality," Kari explained. "Ken's the point guard, and his role in the offense is to get the ball to other people so they can score. So, when he's faced with a situation where either he can score, or he can pass it to a teammate so they can score, he's always going to pass."

"Huh. That actually makes sense," Yolei said. "I think I get it."

"And it's a reward for TK. TK ran the court. He could have just stayed where he was and assumed that Ken would score on his own, but he decided to run down there to help, so Ken rewards him. It'll motivate him to keep running, to keep playing hard, to rebound, because he knows he'll get rewarded with easy points."

"That's really smart." Yolei nodded. "Figures."

"Alright, watch." Kari pointed down at the far side of the court. "The bench has a really predictable offense, and I can see the starters already starting to key in on it. See how they always try to get the ball to Jason?"

Jason stood at the top of the key, dribbling around, Davis squatted down and staying in front of him.

"See how Ken's not staying very close to Derrick and is watching the ball?" Kari continued. "Look at TK and Luke, they're watching Jason. They know what's gonna happen."

Sure enough, Jason ran past Davis towards the basket, and TK and Luke immediately collapsed on him. Ken stood back on the perimeter and watched closely as TK and Luke harrassed him, making any trip to the basket impossible. Surrounded by three people and with no way out, Jason spun around and threw the ball back out towards Derrick.

Ken was waiting for it, and easily picked it off, again taking off down the court with no one in front of him.

"They're trying to make a point to Jason," Kari said as Ken streaked down towards the basket. This time, he went up towards the basket and swung the ball around his back as if he was passing it behind him again, and Derrick attempted to jump and slap the pass away. Only this time, Ken kept the ball in his hands and swung it back up to the basket, easily laying it in, Derrick offering no resistance. "If that's your whole offense, defenses will just do that every time. He needs to add some elements to his game. And they're going to keep making life hard for him until he picks up on that."

"Can't they just talk to him? Does he not know English or something?" Yolei scratched the top of her head.

"Well, Jason ran the offense for the team all last year. He did all this for over thirty games, and sure they lost a lot, and it wasn't a very good offense, but he scored a lot. So, in his mind, this is how you play. It's a bad habit, and he doesn't know it yet. Things aren't gonna change overnight." Kari explained. "I'll bet he just stops on the perimeter and shoots a jumper over Davis this time, he's getting frustrated trying to go to the basket."

Sure enough, after dribbling around, Jason suddenly stopped and threw up a shot that Davis had no problem defending, getting his hand in the face of Jason, blocking his view of the basket. The shot ended up barely hitting the rim, grazing off the front, Luke grabbing the shot and immediately getting it over to Ken.

"See? And if I'm seeing these things, you can bet the players are too." Kari watched Ken dribble it down. "It's a real problem, and it'll take awhile for him to figure it out."

"Alright, Miss Cleo, what are they gonna do now?" Yolei leaned back, watching Ken dribble at the top of the perimeter.

"Dump it in to TK, TK backs his man down, finishes at the rim," Kari recited. "I know these guys, I've been watching them for a long time."

Sure enough, Ken picked up his dribble and lobbed it in to TK, standing to the left of the basket, about five feet away.

.

TK started to dribble the ball, thrusting his weight into Vincent. Unlike Luke, Vincent gave ground as if he was made of cardboard. All he could do was take steps back to keep his balance and hold his hands up in the air. Two thrusts later, TK was right underneath the basket, and simply jumped up and laid it in with Vincent not providing any real defense. Quickly, TK darted back the other way towards Ken.

"Don't throw it to me in the post anymore," he said, turning around to run backwards down the court.

"Why not?" Ken muttered, running down the court and turning his head to look at TK.

"Because I'll score every time," TK replied, completely serious. "Not going to learn anything that way."

Ken nodded, then turned as Derrick dribbled down the court. Thinking for a second, Ken backed off, getting around near the free throw line, as Derrick got to around the three point arc. Ken just stood there, giving Derrick a good six feet of space.

Suddenly, Derrick picked up his dribble and lifted off the ground, quickly putting his shooting motion up and throwing the ball towards the basket. Ken gave a half-hearted hand up, but was much more interested in the shot. He turned around and watched it sail into the basket, banging off the back of the rim before sinking in.

Ken nodded as the bench ran back down the floor to get into defensive position, as TK grabbed the ball, stepped out of bounds, and lazily threw it in to Ken.

.

"Was Ken even trying that time?" Yolei asked. "That was weird."

"I think he wanted to see how...uh, Derrick I think it is, responded. Wanted to see if he could shoot in a game situation if given the opportunity," Kari answered. "The starters could win this game fifty to eight if they wanted, but Ken wants more from this. Here comes the double screen."

"Huh?" Yolei watched. Davis, standing on the right side of the court and being guarded by Jason, suddenly took off towards the other side, darting past TK and Luke as if they were cones in an obstacle course. TK and Luke both provided screens for Jason, barriers he had to get around in order to get back to defending Davis, each holding him up for just a second so Davis could get open.

Without looking, Ken swung the ball to the left side, the ball getting there just as Davis popped out to that spot. About a 50 degree angle from Ken, 16 feet from the basket, he caught it in stride, turned, and shot. Jason wasn't anywhere near, still fighting through Luke's screen, and everything had happened so fast nobody else jumped out to help. The ball bounced off the backboard and into the basket.

"That's what Davis does," Kari explained. "His specialty. He can get his shot up fast."

"And he uses...other players as obstacles, that's really smart..." Yolei muttered to herself. "I think I get it."

"Good job! You are getting it!" Kari slapped Yolei on the back.

Yolei keeled over slightly. "Ow. Ow."

"Sorry, sorry!"Kari yelped. "I hang out with guys all the time, sorry." She looked up in time to see Jason, again driving into the lane past Davis, this time Luke and Marcus closing in to block his path to the basket.

.

Jason dribbled right into the trap, TK and Marcus blocking his way towards the basket and Davis coming up behind him, effectively boxing him in.

"C'mon...c'mon..." Ken said quietly, watching the proceedings from the left side of the court, out on the perimeter, next to Derrick.

Suddenly, Jason threw the ball out of the pileup, throwing it low and bouncing it off the floor, right into the corner of the court, where the out-of-bounds line on the side met the out-of-bounds line under the basket. There, right in the corner, just behind the three point line, Quincy caught the ball and rose up to shoot it.

Quincy was three things that Ken liked. He was tall, so he got his shot off at a very high point that made it hard to block and contest. He was fast, getting the ball up in a shooting position in the blink of an eye. And three, he was consistent, every shot basically looking the same. The corner three banged home a second later, swishing through the net, a fitting end to such a pretty looking shot.

Ken smiled to himself. It was going to be a long process, like a chiropractor readjusting bad joints back into proper position over a long period of time, but Jason could definitely lead the second string offense.

And he'd have shooters flanking him.

The bench trotted back on defense, Ken dribbling it up. On getting up around the three point line, he waved at TK with his left hand, prompting him to run up and set a screen on Derrick's right shoulder. Vincent ran up behind TK, seeing the pick and roll coming yet again.

Ken darted to his left, Derrick fighting past TK, Vincent shading to the left to keep Ken on the outside. TK spun towards the basket and took off, Ken immediately bouncing it towards the basket and in front of TK.

This time, Steve stepped forward, away from the basket, moving to step in front of TK. TK took one step towards the basket, then tossed it to Luke. Luke was standing all by himself, left wide open by Steve, needing only to rise up and bounce the ball off the backboard and into the basket. Even he couldn't mess this up, and he indeed bounced it in.

"That's the only shot I'll ever ask you to make!" TK called out to Luke as he backed down the court. "Make that one and we'll be happy."

.

"Alright, strengthen those legs!" Kari called out, watching TK stand on the side of the court, slowly bending at the knees, sinking his body down while keeping his back straight, going down as low as he could, then slowly coming back up into a standing position. Ken and Davis sat on the bleachers, watching. "Keep it coming, keep it coming!"

The gym had been vacated, the practice having ended a few minutes ago. The four were the only who remained, and TK had decided to take the opportunity to do some leg work.

"We just played a game man, don't kill your legs," Davis said, slipping his shoes off and crossing his legs in front of him.

"Maybe _you_ just played a game; I was matched up against a cardboard cutout." TK slowly went back down. "Kari would have made me work harder than Vincent did."

"She _is_ making your work harder than Vincent did! Right now!" Davis pointed out, gesturing at Kari. "You are so whipped it's unbelievable."

"She's just providing encouragement," TK huffed. "This is nothing. You should have seen my workout regimen over the summer." He flexed his right arm up, causing a few large muscles to bulge from underneath his skin, making his skinny arms of years' past a distant memory. "I'm gonna be the White Karl Malone before you know it."

"Emphasis on white," Davis snarked. "Kari, are you sure this is a good idea? If he gets ripped college girls are gonna be all over him."

"I'll get Gatomon to beat them off," Kari said dismissively.

"Hey, TK," Ken suddenly said, pointing up at one of the baskets. "Can you...uh, you know...can you throw it down yet?"

TK looked up at the basket, then quickly jogged over towards it, the other three falling silent as he went underneath the basket. He bent his knees a few times, crouching down a few inches, then leaped up and swatted his right hand upwards.

His fingertips barely grazed the bottom of the orange rim, swatting at the net, but that was the peak of his jump, and he fell back down to the ground. He bent back down and jumped right back up, again just being able to barely touch the rim before coming back down.

He turned around, running back to his friends, shaking his head. "Ask in six months."

Kari stuck her nose up in the air. "Shameful. Can't even dunk."

"Well, let me know when it happens. Alley-oops sounds like they'd be awful fun to throw." Ken spun one of the balls rolling around on the floor around.

"You embarrass me, TK," Kari said jokingly. "My boyfriend can't even throw down. And you think he'll be getting college girls? Maybe I should be the one thinking about upgrading."

TK looked at her with slanted eyes, then his hands darted forward to her sides and started rapidly squeezing. Kari convulsed and keeled over, barking out a surprised laugh as TK bent over and laid her down on the court.

"Oh, get a room," Davis grunted as TK continued to goose her stomach sides and draw hysterical laughter from her. "I hope you're ready to sleep in the doghouse tonight, TK."

TK finally stopped, standing back up straight and helping Kari to her feet.

"I know how to keep her under control," TK said, making a quick clawing motion at her stomach with his right hand. Kari stuck her tongue out at him.

"So, first game in two days." Davis clapped his hands together in front of him as TK resumed his squats. "Ueno High, I guess."

"Right." Ken nodded. "They won eleven games last year, and their JV team won five, so I'm not expecting much."

"You know anything about them?" Davis asked, running his hands through his hair.

Ken shrugged. "Looks like they're small. Most of the teams around here are small, we've got a real big size advantage this year. They're an academic school."

"What kind of offensive sets do they run?" Davis tapped the bleacher seat next to him. "Pick and roll? Iso? Triangle?"

"I don't have scouts, Davis," Ken said. "And no High School team could possibly run the triangle. You may as well ask the cheerleading squad to run the triangle."

"I'd watch the cheerleading squad run the triangle," Davis said wistfully.

"You'd watch the cheerleading squad plunge a toilet," TK shot.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," Ken said, standing up. "I have homework." He pointed at Davis. "And so do you. Remember, if one of us falls behind in school and is forced to quit the team by their parents, we are all well truly screwed."

"Not if it's you," TK said, continuing the slow squats. "Your parents are still so thrilled about you having friends and doing things with people I think they could catch you chain-smoking behind Wal-Mart instead of going to class and not care."

Ken smiled. "I doubt it. Besides, if I can maintain a 5.0, I've got a full-ride scholarship in American with my name on it."

"Land of the free and home of the brave?" TK stretched his arms up into the air.

"Better believe it." Ken started walking towards the gym exit, Davis slowly getting up and following.

"I'm not leaving until I get a decent sweat going," TK insisted, continuing the repetitive squats.

"You heard the man Kari," Davis said, turning to her. "Start flirting with me. He'll start sweating buckets in no time."

"You?" Kari raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. Maybe Ken." She pointed at Ken's retreating back. "That's right, Harvard Boy! Shake that butt! Hate to see you leave, _love_ to watch you go!"

"You gotta start hanging around girls more often," Ken said, turning around to look back at Kari. "You're so quick with those retorts it's unsettling."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

.

Kari watched as TK scooped sliced pancake pieces into his mouth, one eye on the stovetop as further such breakfast treats cooked up in a frying pan. Seated on the sides of the small kitchen table, Ken and Davis stared at Kari, still a little bit in awe. Five thirty in the morning, and not only was she up, but she was...well, _up_.

She had jumped right up and gotten the three over to her apartment, where she immediately started cooking breakfast for all three of them. Looking sort of comical in a long, red apron in front of a t-shirt, shorts, and house slippers, hands on her hips, Kari was certainly taking a vested interest in feeding the three properly.

"Carbs, people, you wanna digest some carbs before games," Kari said. "The ideal meal, right here."

"You have no idea how much I love you," TK said slowly, pointing his fork at Kari. "You are amazing."

"Yeah yeah," Kari said, moving over to the stove and flipping over one of the cakes with a spatula. "Just make sure you go out there and show me I didn't waste the effort."

A knock came from the front door, Kari turning her head towards it. "It's open!" She called out.

Slowly, Yolei stumbled in, eyes half-closed.

"You're late!" Kari pointed her spatula at Yolei.

"No, I am not. I can't be late, I have no reason to be here by any specific time," Yolei retorted. "In fact, I'm early, because there's no reason for me to be here at all."

"See, this is why I'm jealous," Ken said, looking at Davis and pointing at Kari. "You tell me, which would you rather have?"

"Shut up," Yolei muttered, walking up behind Ken and putting her hands on his shoulders. "Just try talking to Kari about stock market patterns for more than five minutes, watch her go right to sleep."

"Yes, you do manage to challenge me intellectually," Ken admitted. "And I appreciate it."

"Right. Good luck playing...uh..." she reached down into her pocket and slowly pulled out a crumpled up piece of paper, peering down at it through her glasses. "...point guard today."

Ken reached up and snatched the paper away from her. "It doesn't count if you have to use crib notes," he said tartily, tossing it across the room. "If you're smart enough to understand the ebbs and flows of the stock market, you're smart enough to understand basic basketball terminology."

.

"Alright TK, it's your show today," Ken said. The three were standing underneath the basket, activity around them by the rest of the team. "They can't stop you, and we're gonna prove it."

"Does it feel weird that it's us three talking about it, or is it just me?" Davis asked, looking around at the rest of their team, running around and taking shots at the basket. "Shouldn't we be including them? Our teammates?"

"We will, we will...I just don't know how well it's going to go over. We're freshmen, there might be some unrest if we try and take the reigns so blatantly," Ken said, looking around at the rest of their team.

"Gimme a break." Davis pointed at TK. "TK's six feet tall and averaged 17 points and 12 and a half rebounds a game last year. I had 14 points a game. You had 11 points, 8 assists and 3 steals. The numbers speak for themselves!"

"Those numbers are unofficial, as far as they're concerned the Junior Varsity team doesn't have a statkeeper. The stats that Kari kept personally were just for our benefit, no one else is going to take them seriously," Ken explained. "I think it's important we establish our abilities in these first few games and hope everyone else falls into line."

Coach Stewart blew his whistle, prompting everyone on the team to slowly move towards him to gather around him. "It'll be worth it in the long run," Ken said as they moved towards the huddle around Stewart.

.

"Last year I tracked statistics for the Junior Varsity team," Kari explained to Yolei. The bleachers had been populated with a few dozen members of the student body and were quite crowded today, so Kari and Yolei were standing off on the side so Kari would be free to explain things. "But the Varsity team has an official statkeeper, so I'm free to talk to you."

"Alright, so what do you expect?" Yolei asked, holding her hands behind her head.

"TK's gonna eat them alive," Kari said, rubbing her hands together in front of her. "They don't have anyone big or tall enough to guard him. Expect a lot of post moves from him today."

"Yeah, see, you keep using that term, but I don't know what it means," Yolei said. "Post moves."

"Oh, uh...alright." Kari bent over and picked up a ball bouncing around at their feet. "Pretend the basket is up on the wall right here." She pointed at a spot on the wall behind them. She then turned around, putting her back to the imaginary basket, about five feet away from it. "Now, step between me and the basket, like you're guarding me."

Yolei obliged, awkardly standing between Kari and the wall, holding her hands up as if she was defending Kari.

"Now, I'm in the post. The area close to the basket is called the post. And you're guarding me in the post. I have the ball, and my objective is to score. In order to do that, I will employ one of many post moves."

"Right, right," Yolei said.

"I have my back to the basket and I'm close to the hoop, so I have a lot of different options. It's a mindgame at this point. I'm going to make a move and you have to guess what that move is, and then try to guard me as I make that move. I can spin to the left or right, I can just turn around and shoot, I can back you down towards the basket, I could fake one move and then do another...I could do a lot of things. And you're at a disadvantage, because you first have to guess what I'm going to do, and then defend whatever I do. Guess wrong, and I'm almost definitely scoring. Guess right, and I still have an okay chance."

"And this is what TK does?" Yolei asked.

"Yes. He has three good post moves, and he's always trying to add something new. Most high school players don't have post moves, and even fewer know how to defend them."

"I think they're about to start," Yolei said, pointing out at the court. Five players on each team were on the court, Rakunan on the right and Ueno on the left. Luke and one of the Ueno players were up next to each other right at the half court line, everyone else was gathered around them in a circle.

"Yup."

.

The referee, a thin man wearing a black-and-white striped shirt, stepped between Luke and the Ueno center, holding the ball up in the air between them. The scoreboard up above flashed on, showing zeros underneath both the HOME and AWAY label and a 8:00 timer in the middle.

The referee threw the ball up high in the air, and the two players leaped up and attempted to tap it towards their side of the court. Luke won, easily outleaping the four-inches-shorter opponent, tapping the ball back to Ken.

Ken caught it easily, immediately going into a dribble down the court as everyone else ran down to take position around the basket. TK jogged down into the low post, feeling his defender press into his back, turning to look up at Ken and hold his hand out for the ball.

After practicing with Luke the last two weeks, TK felt he was ready for anything. Immediately, he could tell this was going to be a breeze. His defender made no real effort to deny him the ball or push him away from the basket, only staying between him and the rim, meaning Ken only had to simply toss it in towards TK. Maybe six feet from the basket, TK felt his defender press up against his back.

TK threw his weight back as he started to dribble, backing his man down. Indeed, practicing against Luke and playing against this sort of defense felt like running a mile with twenty pound weights on his ankles, then taking them off and running another mile. The man attempting to guard him was forced to step back as TK pressed towards the basket, unable to offer any real resistance. He may as well have been a cardboard cutout.

Before TK knew it, he was just about right underneath the rim. To his amazement, his man never attempted to push back or do anything other than just give ground, and none of the other four opposing players did anything to try to stop him. He jumped up, tossing the ball up at the backboard, easily bouncing it off the glass and into the rim.

TK jogged back down the court as soon as the ball went in, giving Ken a half-hearted high-five on the way down. Everyone got into position on the other side of the court and Ken immediately started hounding the opposing point guard as he crossed halfcourt.

Arms out at the side, Ken was able to disrupt the other team's offense fourty feet from the basket by making sure the opposing ball-handler didn't have an easy time getting the ball up. The point guard fought through Ken's defense, managing to dribble it up to around the three point line.

TK stood about twelve feet from the basket, between his man and the basket, on the right side. The opposing point guard seemed so busy just keeping the ball away from Ken, the thought of trying to run an offensive set seemed beyond his capacity.

The ball was swung around the perimeter to the other guard, then back to the point, still twenty-five feet from the basket, nothing resembling an offensive set. The ball went back to the shooting guard, who finally took off past Davis's right towards the basket.

TK took a step closer towards the man he was defending, seeing where this was going. Luke came over to step in front of the driving guard, leaving him no chance of getting to the rim. He picked up his dribble, looking around in a panic.

Finally, he hurled the ball out toward TK's man, no other choice available to him. Of course, it wasn't much of a choice, given TK was standing right there and simply caught the ball. Quickly throwing it up the court to Ken, TK took off after him, mildly shocked that nobody on this team seemed to be interested in helping anyone else. It was as if they had met five minutes before the game.

Down the court, Ken had taken off as soon as he got the ball and had a two-on-one fast break with Marcus. Ken drove in on the right side of the basket, Marcus on the left, and the lone defender standing in the middle of them, trying to figure out what to do.

Finally, he committed to Ken's side, jumping in front of Ken and reaching his hands out for the ball. Ken simply tossed it to his left, Marcus easily catching it and jumping up to lay it in.

.

"What's that second timer up there?" Yolei asked, pointing up at the scoreboard. Right next to the main timer, there was a second timer. Whenever one team started a possession, the timer started at 35 seconds, and started to count down, and would reset at 30 whenever the other team got the ball.

"The shot clock," Kari replied. "When a team takes possession, the shot clock starts. They have to take a shot before the shot clock expires, or else they lose the ball and the other team gets it. The shot clock also resets if a shot misses, but hits the rim, so a team can miss a shot that hits the rim, then get the rebound and have the shot clock reset."

"What's the point of that?" Yolei asked. Ueno had just managed to get the ball to their center on the post, but Luke was able to easily bully him into trying a fadeaway jumper with Luke's hand in his face. The shot clanked off the front of the rim and TK grabbed the ball, pushing it up to Ken.

"To prevent a team from taking a lead and then just holding onto the ball for the rest of the time without ever shooting," Kari said. "In the days before the shot clock, teams would take a lead and then just let the clock run out, was really boring."

"Makes sense." Yolei nodded. TK and Ken were running the pick and roll now, Ken easily finding TK cutting through the lane unimpeded. TK caught the pass and laid it in, nobody within three feet of him. "Is it always this easy?"

"Not always." Kari pointed at the other team's center, who had just stood there next to Luke as TK charged down the lane for the basket. "Luke can't shoot, so that guy should have moved over to help guard TK when he got open. You're better off giving Luke an open shot than TK an open shot. This team doesn't know how to play with each other. They're just five guys sort of running around out there."

"Yeah," Yolei said. "It seems kinda unfair though, I don't think this team has a guy taller than five foot eight."

Kari shrugged. "It is what it is. You play through it. They're just not playing together." The opposing point guard had just tried to shoot a three without having passed the ball once in the possession, Ken getting his hand up and forcing a shot that didn't even hit the rim. Luke grabbed it on the way down and threw it up to Marcus, who got it to Ken. "At this point, Ken's probably just going to start experimenting by halftime."

Ken flew down the court, bailing out of the fast break when the opposing defense got into position fast enough. He stopped and dribbled just behind the three point line as his teammates got into position.

.

TK again got into position down on the low post, Ken easily lobbing it to him. This time, TK spun around so he was facing the basket, his defender two feet away from him, holding the ball low and his legs spread wide beneath him. He jerked to the right, causing his defender to comically shuffle to that side, biting on the little fake hook, line and sinker. TK went left, right up towards the basket, his defender swinging his arms at him as he looped the ball up at the basket.

TK heard the whistle from the referee as the ball went in. Foul on the defender for hitting his arm as he was going up, and the basket counts. TK got the two points and would get one free throw as well. He pumped his fist as he walked over to the free throw line, hearing faint cheers from the bleachers.

A second whistle. The opposing coach had called time out, prompting both teams to jog back to their benches.

"Are you sure we're not still in JV?" TK patted Ken on the back of the head. "This doesn't even feel right."

"It won't always be this easy," Ken replied, as the team got in a circle around the coach.

"Alright, good job guys," the Coach started. "Good defensive pressure, good offensive sets. TK, they can't stop you, just keep doing what you're doing." He looked up at the clock. 4:50. "No substitutions yet, let's just keep this going."

As the huddle broke, Ken pulled TK to the side. "Watch for the double, it's coming."

TK nodded.

.

"See, if you get fouled but you make the shot anyway, you get the basket and you get a free throw too. It's called an old-fashioned three-point play," Kari pointed out as TK stepped to the free throw line. "If he misses, anyone can grab the rebound, but if he makes it the other team just takes possession."

TK ended up missing off the left side of the rim, the rebound bouncing to the opposing power forward. He turned to look down the court and tried throwing the baseball pass to a teammate, but overthrew it by about five feet and sent it out of bounds.

"What was that?" Yolei asked as the referee chased the ball down.

"That's what happens when you have a team that doesn't have a plan."

TK inbounded the ball to Ken, then trotted to the post.

"Watch for the double, it's coming," Kari said under her breath.

"Huh?" Yolei looked at Kari.

"They can't guard TK with one person, so they're gonna start trying to throw two people at him. Maybe have a second guy deny the pass, maybe throw a second guy at him when he catches the ball, but if they keep singling him he'll score a hundred." Kari watched intently as TK got into position on the low post, defender on his back. "Watch..."

Ken threw the ball in to TK, and immediately Davis's defender came over to crowd him. TK started to dribble with his right hand, going around his defender and towards the rim, as the second defender quickly tried to get in front of him. Raising his hand with the ball as if he was going to try a hook shot, TK instead whipped it behind him out to Davis, who was standing all alone in the corner, eighteen feet from the basket. Quickly, Davis rose up, getting the shot off and knocking it through the basket. Just like that it was 10-0.

"If TK didn't know the double was coming, he probably would have taken a bad shot. But he saw it coming and made the right play," Kari explained. "That's another mind game. Will the defense double-team TK when he gets the ball or not? Where will the double-team come from? When will it come? TK has to make guesses, then react to what the defense ends up doing."

The opposing point guard charged towards the basket, running past Ken, prompting Luke to come out and step in front of him. Finally, they broke through, the point guard bouncing a past by Luke's legs to the man Luke had been originally defending. The guy quickly got the ball up through the basket, breaking the seal.

"See, that's the right play," Kari said. "The point guard had a free lane to the basket, so Luke leaves his man to help. You force him to pass it to a guy who has an open shot, but it's the better play for the defense. The pass could be bad, the guy could drop it, more things can go wrong. It's better to force that play than give him the free run to the basket."

Ken brought the ball up, and the same play went into motion.

"They're three steps ahead of the other team right now, watch this," Kari leaned forward. Ken threw the ball in to TK, who swung to his right and started to power towards the basket. Again, Davis's defender ran in to step in front of TK and harrass him, causing TK to throw it back out to Davis like before. This time, Ken's defender had taken off, running towards Davis with his hand up. Ken darted for the basket, Davis bouncing the ball in front of him. The two defenders on TK didn't react fast enough to stop Ken from swooping in to the basket and laying it in gracefully.

"They change it up a little bit every single time," Kari said. "They're always trying to defend the last play, instead of the play they're actually running. "

.

TK and Ken sat on the bench, sweat dripping down their faces and arms, watching their backups enter the game. There were fourty seconds left in the first quarter, and they had raced out to a 18-5 lead. Davis remained in the game along with Luke.

"Piece of cake, huh?" TK said, grabbing a water bottle from underneath his chair.

"You could drop a hundred today." Ken reached under the chair for his own water. "You won't, but you could."

"Hey, come on, we agreed." TK took a swig of his bottle. "We don't talk individual statistics during the game."

"Right, right. I forgot." Ken nodded. "When we get back in, I want you to move to the high post. I want to experiment running the offense like that."

"Our biggest advantage in this game is our size, you wanna move me away from the basket?" TK asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, you're right, if we do that we might actually lose," Ken deadpanned. Derrick dribbled towards the basket, the defense collapsing on him. He threw the ball into the corner to an open Davis, who squared up to shoot as a defender ran out at him. He decided to pass up the shot and swing the ball back out to Quincy in the center of the court, just behind the three point line.

He squared up and got off his shot, which looked roughly the same as every shot he took in practice, but this one missed the rim entirely and bounced out of bounds.

"Ouch," TK grunted. "Well, it's one shot."

"Right. Anyway, I want to experiment, and if the game gets close we can move you back." Ken threw the water bottle underneath his chair. The opposing small forward dribbled into the painted area towards the basket, just edging past Quincy, only to have his shot blocked by Luke and swatted to Davis. "Just remember, this is an academic school we're playing. The other teams have six footers, and they know how to play. So enjoy this while you can."

Davis got set up for an open sixteen foot jumper off a pair of screens that rimmed out, but Luke was able to grab the offensive rebound and tap it back in.

"Hey, I practice against Luke. I'm fine, I'm fine." TK set his own bottle back underneath his chair.

.

TK held the ball, facing the basket, standing just to the right of the free throw line, his defender playing about three feet away from him. Now it was TK running the offense, standing there with the ball, waiting to make a decision. With his superior height, he could see over everyone and find passing angles that others couldn't.

He started to dribble and lunged over to his right. The defense was terrified of him at this point, and his defender immediately shuffled to that side, and a second defender from the corner rushed over to leap in his path.

TK threw the ball over that second defender's head to Quincy, positioned in the corner, now wide open. He squared up and got his shot off, but this one just barely grazed the front of the rim and bounced off. TK had rushed towards the basket as soon as he made the pass, shuffling past bodies, getting in position to grab the rebound. He easily snatched it and put it back in the basket.

As the ball went in, the buzzer went off, signaling the end of the half. 36 to 12. A dominating performance all around. The team slowly walked over towards the bench, taking a seat on the line of chairs.

"You concerned?" TK looked at Ken.

Ken shrugged. "He's not even close, so...I guess so, yeah."

"Alright guys, great half," Coach Stewart started, still not sounding all that enthusiastic. "I...well, I don't have much to say. We're dominating the boards, playing disciplined defense, getting great shots, so...just keep doing what you're doing and we'll win."

Ken sighed, then stepped into the middle of the huddle. "We're gonna start using the clock when we have the ball in the second half, gonna use all of the shot clock, so don't be afraid to just hold the ball for awhile before getting into an offensive set. We'll be running some of the offense through TK on the high post, so set screens and move without the ball. Lot's of ball movement and passes. Be careful playing defense on the perimeter, they might start throwing threes up so they can try to come back, Luke will lock down the paint."

"Wait, who are you again?" Jason asked, pointing at Ken. "Are you the coach's son?"

"No, I'm just doing my job," Ken said quickly.

"Well, I mean, I was on this team last year, and we had an offense that we ran, I think we should at least incorporate it into this year's offense." Jason scratched the top of his head. "I mean, we can still use at least pieces of that-"

"That offense is a dead end, nothing good comes out of it. We run the offense through TK in the high post, we'll run the offense through you some time in the fourth." Ken clapped his hands together in front of him.

"The game will be over by then!" Jason exclaimed.

"Exactly," Ken replied. "Come on, we're playing winning basketball here."

"Well, why do you get to decide what's winning basketball?" Jason asked, hands out at his sides. "I averaged twenty three points a game last year, don't I get some say in this?"

"There is room on this team for your talents, Jason," Ken insisted. "But they have to be used within a system. Okay?"

"Uh, sure, I guess, just...I can score, y'know." Jason shrugged.

.

"This is gonna be a problem," TK said, standing under the basket with Ken as the team milled around. "Maybe not today, but it will be."

"I know, I know," Ken agreed. "But we do need him on this team, and we need him invested. We'll bring him along, and by the time the season's over he'll hopefully buy in."

Suddenly, someone jumped onto TK's back, wrapping her arms around TK's neck and her legs around his waist. "Guess who?"

"C'mon, don't come on the court, you're embarrassing me," TK said, looking over his shoulder at Kari.

"You're embarrassing yourself with your free throw shooting," Kari teased, sticking her tongue out.

"You're gonna get it, you know that?" TK said, grabbing her hands clasped on his chest. "Don't tell me my stats yet, I don't wanna know. Now get off, I'm all sweaty."

"I don't care," Kari hugged him tighter. "I'm not afraid of being a _dirty_ girl-"

"Ah!" TK pried her hands apart and bucked her off. "Go away!" He said, pointing at the bleachers as she fell off him. "Not in public you dork!"

Kari again stuck her tongue out at TK before turning to walk away.

"Don't say a word," TK said quickly before Ken could speak up. "Seriously, just don't say anything."

Ken nodded. "High post. Offense runs through you for the first part of the third."

.

TK stood right at the free throw line, ball held high above his head, as the other nine players on the court ran around him. The opposing power forward stood between him and the basket, hands up, about three feet away from him.

He felt Ken running behind him, on his right side, jetting right towards the basket, his defender a step and a half behind him. TK simply threw the ball to the right of his defender, where Ken was running, Ken catching it after a bounce. Both Ken's defender and TK's defender reacted to Ken going up for the shot, but Ken simply played hot potato with the ball and threw it behind his back right to TK.

No one around him, TK rose up and shot the jumper right from the free throw line, watching it sail into the bucket. He gave a small fist pump as he ran back the other way. If he was hitting that shot he was practically impossible to defend.

Down on the other end, Ueno finally ran something resembling actual offense and organized a pick and roll. TK's man pressed up against Ken's left shoulder and the other point guard went to his right, using his teammate like a shield. TK edged out slightly to keep the point guard from going right to the basket, which gave the man TK was guarding just enough room to spin and run to the basket. The pass was just out of TK's reach and Luke was just a hair late with the help defense, resulting in a five foot jumper that went through.

TK grumbled to himself. The score was 49-20, so it was hardly a cause for distress, but he could never seem to stop that pick and roll.

Ken took the ball down, waiting for everyone to get into position, then charged towards the basket down the right side. Quincy's defender left to step in front of Ken, leaving Quincy wide open in the corner. Ken threw it out to him, and TK could barely stop himself from rolling his eyes as he rose up to shoot it.

The shot again barely hit the rim, grazing on the far side of it. TK grabbed the rebound over his man and got the putback up with a small hookshot, but the ball bounced off the back of the iron and out to a Ueno player.

"That's four," TK mumbled quietly to Ken on his way back up the court. Ken nodded.

Ueno tried to squeeze off a fast break with only Davis and Luke getting back on defense, but a wild drive to the basket ended with an emphatic block by Luke. The ball bounced to Quincy, who shuffled it over to Ken.

Slowly, letting the clock tick off seconds, they assembled into an offensive set as Ken dribbled around at the top. After about twenty seconds of this, he threw it in to TK on the low post. No double came.

TK dribbled a couple times, backing his man down, waiting for the second man. No one was coming. Finally, he picked his dribble up, shook his body to the left and right quickly a few times, then spun and shot right over the confused defender, who couldn't even get his hand up.

The shot bounced off the backboard and went in. A whistle sounded, Ueno timeout.

Ken immediately ran over to TK and motioned Davis to come over, gathering the three together. "We'll have one more possession before the end of the third. Davis, get Luke and TK to set up a double screen for you, set up behind the three point line. I don't think we'll be playing in the fourth quarter, let's see that range."

Davis nodded, skipping over towards Luke. Ken looked up at TK. "We'll let Jason have his way in the fourth quarter. Good chance to see the second unit."

Everyone milled around for a little bit until the whistle blew again, Ueno taking the ball out from underneath their own basket fifty seconds left in the quarter. The opposing point guard tried to run a give-and-go with the shooting guard, quickly shuffling it off to him at the top, then darting into the lane past Ken without the ball and receiving a pass near the basket. Ken read it, however, and managed to pick the pass off, guiding the offense up. Sure enough, Davis took off from the right side of the court towards the left, cutting past TK and Luke, who both provided picks for the man chasing Davis, allowing him to get several steps open.

Ken threw the ball at him behind the three point line on the left wing, and he neatly spun and shot it. The ball arced into the basket with three seconds left on the clock, which ran off after Ueno inbounded amidst cheers from the bleachers, a half-court shot at the buzzer harmlessly bouncing off the backboard.

.

"If he could just harness his abilities, he'd be a perfect sixth man," Ken mused, watching Jason dribble the ball at the top. In a flash, he took off towards the basket, his defender forced to swipe at the ball as he passed, drawing a whistle from the referee. Non-shooting foul, Rakunan ball, inbounding.

"His first step is so quick. If he started passing off the dribble, he'd be unstoppable." Davis agreed. "He'll learn."

TK grimaced. Neither the Rakunan power forward or center was going within ten feet of the basket, both afraid to bang bodies with their defenders down low. "Both our backup big men play like guards." Jason again dribbled right past his defender, and with no one under the basket to help, he had a free layup for an easy two points.

"We'll work with it," Ken replied.

"Nice work today," Davis said, looking over at TK and Ken. "They couldn't stop you guys."

"Yeah you too," TK nodded. The opposing power forward had just pushed his way into the paint and gotten a six foot jump hook that went in. Ueno had been scoring constantly in the fourth quarter against the backups. "I'm not even really tired, I don't feel like I played a game."

"You'll be tired next week," Ken said. "Meguro High regularly produces players who end up with scholarships to play basketball at American colleges. 27 and 5 last season."

TK nodded. "I welcome the challenge."

Jason again barrelled towards the basket, this time help defenders closing in to block his view of the basket. Jason shuffled it into the corner to a wide open Quincy, who again rose up for his shot.

"Pull!" TK said sarcastically. But the ball ended up sailing right through the basket, a satisfying swish through the net.

"Hey, say what you will, at least he's not afraid to shoot it," Ken said.

"Sure he is. He just shoots it anyway." TK muttered. "Broken clock is right twice a day."

Ueno got an easy basket when one of their guards ran into the lane and nobody was there to stop the layup.

"C'mon, this is his first competitive game," Davis said. "Give him a chance."

"I gave him four chances today, and we're lucky one of his shots didn't kill someone in the bleachers."

"Good job today, man." Marcus suddenly said. TK looked over to his right and realized he had been sitting next to Marcus on the bench. "They can't stop you."

"Oh, yeah. Thanks. Good job too." TK nodded.

Derrick was standing at the top, dribbling the ball. Quincy ran off a screen from Vincent on the right wing and caught the pass, just barely open. He rose up and shot it, again nailing it with a swish.

"Well. Looks like we found our guy whenever we want to hit meaningless threes at the end of games when we're up by twenty points," Ken joked.

"I don't get it. He looked like Kari shooting a three in the first three quarters, now he's Annie Oakley." TK shrugged.

"We all have bad moments, and sometimes those bad moments string together." Ken looked up at the clock as it went to zero and the buzzer sounded off. "Alright, not too shabby. Seventy-four to Fourty-nine."

.

"So, how did we do?" Davis took a seat on the floor next to Ken. TK was laying down on Kari's bed, Kari standing near the foot of the bed, holding a piece of paper.

"I'll tell you as soon as he gets off my bed!" She said, pointing at TK. "You're covered in sweat!"

TK simply closed his eyes, folding his hands on his chest. "I thought you said you weren't afraid of being a _dirty-"_

Kari jumped onto the bed and started hitting TK with the piece of paper in the face. He threw his hands up over his face, and she started trying to roll him off the bed.

"C'mon, seriously, that's gross!" She hissed, as he refused to roll over. "I'll let you shower here, just get off!"

Finally, he relented and rolled onto the floor with a thud. Kari cleared her throat.

"Anyway. Davis had fifteen points on six baskets and nine shots. Ken had eight points, thirteen assists, and five steals. And TK had thirty points, twelve rebounds, and three assists," Kari listed.

"Sounds like a productive game to me," Ken said happily. He jumped to his feet. "And I have things to take care of at home."

"Well, TK, I suppose your performance is...satisfactory." Kari rolled off the bed on top of him, landing on his chest. "Want to hang out tonight?"

"Sure thing." TK leaned up into a sitting position. "Ken, double-date at the dragon tonight. Davis, shoo."

"Oh, sure, send the single guy packing," Davis groaned, getting to his feet. "I mean, it's not like I like eating at the dragon or anything, noooooo, I _hate_ that-"

"Cars don't have five wheels and dogs don't have five legs, Davis," Ken shot on his way out the door. "Sorry, that's just the way it is. However, there _are_ cars that have six wheels, a style I'm rather fond of, if you catch my drift."

"Bring your quarters, we'll go to the arcade later," TK called out to Ken.

"And man, am I glad I'm not going to the arcade. Man, you guys sure know how much I hate video games and fun," Davis moaned.

TK pointed at Davis. "Shoo."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

.

"C'mon, I watched the whole game this morning, can we not talk about basketball for a little bit?" Yolei whined, picking at her noodle bowl.

"What do you propose?" Ken asked, picking up one of the egg rolls in front of him.

"I have no proposal. I dunno, why don't you talk about your stock market hunches, Ken?" Yolei shrugged.

"Because the MSG in our food is doing enough to try to get us to fall asleep," Kari said quickly. "Next week is a big game. We're travelling across the city to play one of the best basketball schools in Japan. If we win, we're on the map."

"We could talk about...our fears concerning rising gas prices, concerns about our military strength-"

"Maybe we should have taken Davis." TK picked up an egg roll.

"Okay, fine. Talk about whatever. I'll just sit here and try sending out telepathic messages to other people in the restaurant or something." Yolei sat back in the booth, eyes closed.

"I'd really like to be able to stop the pick and roll," TK murmured, putting the egg roll in his mouth. "It's a real problem, I've never been able to defend it."

"Very few people can stop a good pick and roll," Ken said. "I wouldn't worry about it, we'll have to work with the rest of the team on coming up with a good rotation for it. It's not on you." Ken pointed at TK. "Your concern will be stopping your man one-on-one next week. This guy is getting recruited to the states after this year. Kentucky, UCLA, they want him. Athletic freak. His name is Tony Gomes. Six feet tall, jumps out of the gym, fast, quick...he's a monster. He doesn't have any post moves, but he doesn't need them. He gets out on the break, goes around people underneath the basket, whatever he's gotta do. Last year, 23 points and 11 rebounds a game with 4 blocks."

"If he outplays you I'm dumping you and asking him out," Kari said dryly. "Just putting that out there."

"You should be able to score on him in the post, but he loves flying out of nowhere for blocks when you think he's not going to be involved in the play," Ken continued. "So watch out if you think you've got a score. Also, TK, whatever you do, stay between your man and the basket. The moment this Tony gets a free lane to the rim, he takes off. And their point guard just throws it up around the basket and Tony slams it home. Never, under any circumstance, give him a chance to run to the basket freely."

"Give him a lot of double moves down low, sounds like he likes to go for blocks. Make him go for a block one way then go the other," Kari added, scooping up a bunch of rice in her chopsticks.

"This is a really good team. Their point guard knows exactly how to feed Tony the ball in his spots, their shooting guard is lights out from three, they have a center that can hit jumpers, good bench...it's not gonna be easy." Ken tapped his fingers on the table.

"Don't you dare try to use Quincy next week," TK warned. "We can mess around with him in blowouts, but we can't waste possessions with him this week."

"You guys are mean," Yolei spoke up, opening her eyes.

"Oh, you're awake," TK said dully. "It's not about being mean, it's just...well, we can't be taking chances in a game like this."

Yolei shrugged. "You're gonna need him."

"We will. But until we figure out what he's got, we can't rely on him."

.

TK pushed the joystick down with his left hand, then swept it to the right and pressed the yellow button on the console with his right, causing his character to send out a fireball. Ken blocked it, then sprung forward with a scissor kick.

The arcade had managed to maintain a decent-sized clientele, even with the continuing advancement of console-based home gaming, by maintaining an impressive atmosphere along with good food. Stepping into this place felt like stepping through a portal into the 80s, and there was a real genuine feeling about it.

The two teenagers continued to mash buttons as the girls watched, TK going into a hurricane kick that Ken backed away from. A brief chargeup was all the warning TK got as Ken's character leaped forward into his super attack, a double scissor kick that landed with authority and knocked him out.

"God!" TK grunted, stepping to the right and letting Kari up to the machine. "Ken, you can't be Bison anymore, it's not fair."

"Okay, so...I'm not allowed to be Bison, Vega, Guile, DeeJay, Honda, or Fei Long now?" Ken asked as Kari put a quarter into the machine. "We're six months away from me not being allowed to use anyone but Zangief."

"C'mon, you never lose," TK groaned. "At least find a character I can beat on occasion."

"I'm not sure that character exists." Ken selected Sagat from the character screen as Kari picked Ryu.

"Wait...Ken always beats you?" Yolei looked up at TK.

TK nodded. "Always. He's like the Street Fighter Two savant."

Yolei turned to Ken. "You _were_ letting me win, I knew it!"

"Perish the thought." Ken started the match with an uppercut as Kari made the mistake of trying to come in immediately.

"You should play as Ken," Kari said as she threw a fireball to counter Ken's. "I mean, it'd be fitting, right?"

"Can't. I forgot about Ken, TK said I can't play him either after I got eight perfect rounds in a row against him with Ken." Sagat grabbed Ryu and threw him across the screen.

"I was beating you when you used Ken!" Yolei huffed. "Okay, I'm playing after Kari, and you _have_ to try. Promise?"

"Well, you asked." Ken was throwing a stream of fireballs, keeping Kari pinned down. A few strangers came up behind TK and Yolei to watch the screen.

"Ken's a legend in this place, always draws a crowd," TK explained. "This is why it's worth it to keep sticking quarters in the machine, good way to get out and meet people."

Ken knocked Kari out with a leaping hard kick, prompting round two.

"Yeah, do you really want Ken to go all out against you?" TK looked down at Yolei. "It's gonna be a bloodbath."

"Well what's the point of playing him if he's not going all out? I may as well just play a training dummy."

Ken continued to launch projectile after projectile at Kari, keeping her from doing anything.

"And pick your best character too!" Yolei shouted. "I'm not having any of this sandbagging!"

Ken quickly finished Kari off with a couple of kick combos, then waved Yolei forward. "Remember, you asked for this." He pushed a quarter into Yolei's side of the machinie.

TK put his arm around Kari's back, pulling her closer to him. Ken selected Vega, Yolei cycling around the character screen a few times before picking Fei Long.

"Alright, here we go!" she shouted as the match began.

Immediately, Ken started jumping all over the screen, darting in to land attacks before jumping away. Bouncing off walls, attacking from above, rolling away. All Yolei could do was frantically try to block, but had only limited success.

"When Ken's biographer approaches me one day, and asks where his romance with Yolei went horribly wrong, I'm going to point to this moment right here," TK said.

Yolei frantically tried a spinning kick, but Ken stepped in right after it and landed a throw that ended the match. Round two immediately started, Ken again relentlessly jumping around like a madman to confuse Yolei.

"C'mon Ken, at least let her hit you once," Kari said as Ken performed a quick throw.

"Not a chance." Ken quickly did a complicated input and launched Vega's super, taking the rest of Yolei's life. "Double perfect!"

Yolei turned around, smiling. "I'd rather lose with honor than win fradulently." She nodded.

"That was not an honorable loss," TK replied.

"Why don't you and Kari play a little bit," Ken offered, moving away from the machine and looking at Kari.

"But you're still on your quarter," Kari said, pointing at the screen.

"I'm never losing the quarter, just go," Ken insisted. Kari stepped up and started a new game with Yolei after she inserted a new quarter.

"From now on you only get to play Zangief," TK grumbled.

"I can beat you with Zangief." Ken watched Kari and Yolei go at it. "Look on the bright side." Kari, playing as Cammy, just threw Yolei's DeeJay. "Your girlfriend is going to beat my girlfriend."

"I'll beat your Zangief." TK looked around the arcade, the crowd dispersing now that Ken had stopped playing. "So...what are you thinking next week?"

"They're going to double you. Maybe not immediately, maybe not every time, but expect doubles constantly, and expect them from different places at different times. I expect them to rotate well, so make smart passes if you need to get the ball out. But you're gonna need to score. Don't be afraid to challenge a double team sometimes. Our team isn't exactly filled with people who can take advantage of other players being double-teamed. If you get the ball on a pick and roll, don't be afraid to pass it if they rotate someone to defend you, but challenge that defender if you think you can take him. We're not winning this game without a monster performance from you."

"He won't do the...fireball!" Yolei grunted, flicking the joystick around and pushing buttons. "C'mon, come out!"

"Try hitting the button a little bit later!" Ken called out. "Anyway, I don't expect they'll let Davis get wide open shots very much, they're a very disciplined defense. You're just gonna have to be better."

"No pressure though," TK added sarcastically.

"Try to go hard at the rim, get them in foul trouble, turn the game that way. You're gonna be tired after this one." Ken turned back to the game console. "If we pull this off we'll probably get some national attention. Yolei, stop trying to do the super, you can't do the input right."

"Don't tell me...dammit!" She turned away from the machine in frustration. "I know the input, it's just not working!"

"You'll get it, I'll practice it with you some time. Alright, Zangief time." He stepped over to Kari's spot as TK took Yolei's.

"Yeah. I can beat your Zangief." TK mumbled to himself.

.

"So anyway, Ken can _not_ use Zangief anymore," TK said defiantly, holding his finger up towards the ceiling. "Absolutely out of the question. No more Zangief."

"You are such a baby," Kari said, laying down on top of his chest. TK was laying back on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. "Seriously, a baby in a man's body."

"Well, what's right is right." TK ran his fingers through her hair. "Ridiculous."

"This week we'll work on your post moves. Lots of fakes and double moves. We'll tone down on the workouts too, you need your legs for the game." Kari rolled over so she was also looking up at the ceiling. "This is a big game. Get your name out there as a freshman, and you know word is gonna trickle over to the states, and in a few years-"

"Woah woah." TK looked down at Kari. "Look, I'm having a great time playing, and I'm glad I was able to get on the varsity team. And I'm gonna stay on the team for the next three seasons too. But after that, life goes on, I'm gonna...go to college here, graduate, get some office job or whatever. I'm not even...thinking about going to America to play college basketball."

"Why not?" Kari looked up at TK's face. "I mean, who knows? You can score in the post, you understand the game, you have a good rebounding sense...and you're already six feet tall at fourteen!"

"There's not much of a market for six foot power forwards at the college level." TK squirmed uneasily. "It'd never-"

"Men don't stop growing until they reach twenty-one," Kari pointed out. "You've got more than six years of growing left."

"It's different for everyone, I'm probably done growing." TK wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up towards him. "I mean, I just had a massive freak growth-spurt, I'd be surprised if I grew another...two inches the rest of my life."

"Maybe. Maybe not." Kari laid her head back on his right shoulder. "Maybe you've got another foot of growth left."

"L-let's not even talk about that yet." TK looked back up at the ceiling. "I have no plans to pursue any sort of college basketball career."

"Alright, fine." Kari rolled back over. "Wanna spend the night?"

"I'd never do that to your mother," TK answered.

"Please. She adores you. You have no idea how happy she was when I started dating you." Kari nuzzled her face into TK's chest. "You could stay every night if you wanted, she loves you."

"But we are just fourteen. People might get...ideas." TK glanced over at the near wall to his right.

"I trust you, my parents trust you...who cares what people think? It's just a sleepover, and I live much closer to school than you." Kari kissed him on the right cheek.

"Fine fine. Twist my arm." TK rolled over slightly, dumping Kari onto the bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

.

TK spun to face the basket, then spun back around to put his back to it, holding the ball between his large hands. He started to back Tony down, bouncing the ball on the floor. He waited for the double team to come, getting closer to the basket. Tony made him work to get close, but he wasn't quite Luke in that regard.

TK spun left, raising the ball up in his right hand like he was going to shoot it over him. Tony leaped, raising what seemed like four feet off the ground, but TK pulled the back in and slid past him, scooping the ball up towards the basket and bouncing it off the backboard into the cup.

TK ran back down the court quickly. It was one hell of a basketball gym, everything shiny and professional-looking. There were seats all around the gym, unlike theirs which just had a couple bleachers here and there. And every seat was full of loud, cheering fans.

TK looked up at the scoreboard against the right wall, massive and pristine, almost looking futuristic. HOME checked in at 17, AWAY at 12. 2:30 left in the first quarter.

"Don't fall asleep!" Ken yelled on the way back down the court. "They WILL double when you post up, it's coming!"

TK quickly saw Tony coming down the court as the ball was dribbled up. It was as advertised. Tony was relentless. Unlike TK, who preferred to hang out in the post and play close to the basket, Tony went everywhere. He ran around like a maniac, setting screens and trying to get the ball. He was fast and quick, long legs propelling him around the court. It was all TK could do to keep up, knowing that if he fell asleep for even a second, Tony would take off to the rim and slam home an alley-oop. Already he could feel his legs burning with the effort it took to keep Tony off the rim.

Tony ran out to the top, about twenty feet from the basket, and caught the pass. TK stood between him and the basket about eight feet away, not afraid of him taking a shot all the way out there.

Tony started to dribble and then took off right towards TK. TK could feel his stomach turning, but he knew this was a chance to turn the game. Tony went to his right, trying to step around TK, using his great quickness and strength. TK shuffled his feet to stay in front of him, then planted down right in front of him.

Tony barrelled right into TK's chest, knocking him over, getting off a haphazard shot as he fell on top of TK. TK hit the floor, then heard the referee whistle. He looked up, seeing the referee point the other way.

Foul on Tony. TK rose his hands into the air.

.

"Wait, what happened?" Yolei yelled over the boos as Tony got up to talk to the official. "Why are they booing?"

"Offensive foul." Kari clapped her hands a few times. "See, if TK was moving his feet when Tony charged into him, then the foul would be on TK, because Tony has a right to go where he wants because he's the offensive player. But since TK had his feet planted, that's his spot, and Tony isn't allowed to just try to go over him. If he does, the foul is on him, and we get possession."

Finally, Tony went off towards the bench.

"Oh man, that's his second foul! He's gotta come out now!" Kari clapped a few times again. "That's huge!"

"Why does he come out?" Yolei asked as Tony sat down on the bench.

"Each player is only allowed to commit five fouls in a game. Once they commit the fifth foul, they have to sit out the rest of the game. So now he needs to come out for awhile so they can conserve the fouls he has left, because they don't want to not have him at the end of the game."

Ken dribbled around at the top, Davis running through a double screen from the left to the right. But the defensive rotation kept him from getting open, and Ken dumped it to TK on the low post.

"TK should be able to do whatever he wants against this guy." Kari pointed at TK.

TK simply turned around and shot it over his defender, who was much smaller and less imposing than the recently-benched Tony. The defender was leaning back, afraid of TK going around him, and didn't even contest the eight foot jumper that went right in.

.

"It's coming, it's coming!" Ken yelled as they ran back. TK was grateful for being able to defend the much less-impressive backup power forward, who did much less to exhaust TK and was much easier to defend. The offense set up, and the ball was thrown in to the center.

An 18-year-old Senior, the opposing center was another impressive specimen. Standing at 6 foot 5 inches, he towered over even Luke and TK. Thankfully, he was thin and not terribly strong, so even with his supreme height he could be bullied away from the basket. But he could shoot right over Luke, and he did from thirteen feet out. The ball bounced off the backboard and the front of the rim before rolling in.

Ken signaled TK on the way down the court, and as soon as they got into their offensive set, TK ran up to the top and set a pick on Ken's defender. Ken started the pick and roll, TK spinning and running towards the basket as soon as his man edged out a little bit towards Ken.

TK caught Ken's pass and turned to the basket. Someone had rotated over to stand between him and the basket. Without looking, TK hurled it into the left corner, right to Davis, who had been left open.

Quickly, before the man rotating from the top could get to him, Davis rose up and shot, sinking the corner three.

Down on the other end, the opposing shooting guard got the ball on the left wing, jab-stepped a few times to get Davis to back off, and then rose up for a three of his own. It bounced off the back of the rim to TK, who quickly got it off to Ken who took off on the break.

Ken penetrated into the paint with the opposing small forward hounding him. Ken swung it around behind his back to Marcus, who quickly got up towards the rim and got a shot off before a defender could get to him. The shot went in.

The whistle sounded. Timeout, Meguro.

.

Five minutes left in the second quarter, Tony trotted off the bench.

"Go hard," Ken whispered to TK as Meguro inbounded the ball and came down the court. "The officials won't call a third foul on him unless it's obvious. Make it obvious."

TK had regained his legs a little bit since Tony had gone out, but once again Tony's seemingly infinite energy forced TK to chase him everywhere. He was at the top, he was going into the corner, he was trying to push towards the bucket...everything.

"Does this guy ever get tired?" TK muttered to himself. He was up near the top, by the point guard. Suddenly, the point guard lunged towards TK at the same time that Tony spun and ran towards the basket. For just a split second, TK leaned toward the point guard, allowing Tony to blow past him. TK tried to turn and chase Tony, but it was too late. The point threw the ball up to the basket, about two feet to the left, and in a flash Tony had leaped towards it.

He got up high. Almost inhumanely high for a high schooler. TK could only watch as Tony caught the ball, windmilled it around, and slammed it through the rim.

The crowd erupted, an earsplitting cheer going through the entire arena. TK winced before trotting back. Twenty-seven to twenty-seven now, but TK could feel momentum swinging with that dunk.

Ken got the ball on the right wing to Jason, who charged to the basket around his man, faked a layup, then spun back and tried a fadeaway jumper that seemed to be open. Tony jumped out of nowhere, seemingly covering half the court, and slammed the shot out of bounds with enough force to send it flying into the fourth row of seats behind the basket.

Another earsplitting roar. TK felt his stomach flip a few times, now it was clear more than ever before, they were in enemy territory. And for the first time, TK felt the effects of that.

Luke inbounded to Quincy, who stood in the corner and passed it on the low block to TK. TK shook back and forth a few times before spinning and shooting a fadeaway jumper that hit the far rim and bounced out.

As soon as the shot missed, Tony took off down the court, and TK sprinted down to keep up with him. He could feel Meguro pushing the ball, sensing that the point guard was looking for another chance to lob the ball to Tony and create another dunk that would blow the roof off the gym.

TK was able to avoid that humiliation, but was still caught out of position when Tony caught the ball on the right wing and charged to the basket. TK was able to jump in front of him and swat at his charging layup so the shot missed off the backboard, but was whistled for the foul.

TK shook his head a few times as he stepped to the right side of the lane. After Tony hit the first free throw, a whistle sounded. Timeout, Rakunan.

Ken immediately came over to TK and patted him on the back a few times.

"Don't let it rattle you, this is what he does," Ken said quickly. "Just take a few deep breaths and think it through."

"I need to get him out of the game," TK panted. "He's exhausting me, and there's no way Vincent or Steve can guard him." The two walked over to the bench.

"The crowd is energizing him, he can feel them anticipating the next big play. Use it against him. Just like we talked about." Ken looked over at the other bench. "He's gonna keep trying to charge the crowd up, be ready for it and counter."

TK nodded, continuing to breathe deeply as he waited for the referee whistle.

When he came, everyone meandered back over towards the basket and lined up, waiting for Tony's second foul shot. He dribbled a few times, then shot and put it in. TK quickly inbounded it to Ken and the offense ran down the court to set up.

TK fought for position down low as Ken dribbled around at the top. Finally, Ken charged into the lane past his defender, waited for the double from the corner, then threw it to Quincy in the now vacated corner.

TK could barely supress a groan as Quincy took a shot, the ball hitting the front of the rim and bounding up towards the backboard before bouncing out to Tony. Tony grabbed the rebound and took off, dribbling the ball as he took massive steps down the court. TK chased him as he cut through falling-back defenders, seeing him plotting a course to the rim, determined to stop him.

Ken was able to get between Tony and the basket, so Tony simply stopped and rose up for a three-foot jumper over him. TK, running right behind him, got his hand up and poked the ball free of his hands on the way up, grabbing it and throwing it over to Ken as he ran past him.

The crowd went deadly silent. No one blocked Tony. It didn't happen. And yet, it seemed to be a fact, because it just happened. Ken slowly took the ball up as TK took position in the low post against Tony. He could feel Tony's frustration, and held his right hand out for the ball.

Ken dumped it in to him, about nine feet from the basket. TK dribbled a few times, plotting his move. Finally, he swung to his right, bringing his left hand up with the ball as if he was going to shoot it. Tony leaped up in front of the shot, raising his arms, trying for another powerful block. TK brought the ball back into his body, then put his left foot to the right of Tony to jump past him. As he put the shot up with his right hand, he felt Tony slap down on his forearms with the full force of both hands, sending the shot careening out of bounds. He heard the referee whistle, and glanced over as he fell back to the ground to see the referee signal a foul on Tony. He distinctly heard Tony hiss out a curse, drowned out by the chorus of boos from the crowd. TK slowly made his way up to the free throw line, grinning to himself as Tony made his way back to the bench.

"That a way!" Ken yelled, standing around half court as TK lined up for his free throw. He sank both, eyeing the backup power forward for Meguro as he came back down the court.

TK was easily able to deny his new man the ball just by power of his length and size, forcing the ball to stay rotation around on the perimeter as Luke fought tooth and nail to keep the ball away from the 6 foot 5 center. As the ball was swung around behind the three point line, Ken managed to lunge in the path of a pass and pick it off, taking off like a bullet with no one in front of him.

He got down the court towards the rim, looking like he was going to rise up for a layup with a defender a step behind him, but at the last second he swung it to the other side of the basket to Quincy, who rose up and laid it in easy off the backboard. The crowd started to murmur uneasily. It was almost halftime, and they weren't going away. Anything but.

The next time down, the center ran a pick and roll with the point guard, and he was able to get just a hair ahead of Luke towards the basket. He caught a pass and slammed it home, re-invigorating the crowd. Among those cheers, Ken slowly brought the ball back up.

TK got post position easily, and Ken dumped it in to him. Almost as soon as he got the ball, Jason took off towards the basket, cutting by TK, and TK bounced the ball to him. The opposing center rose up to try to block Jason's layup, but Jason switched hands and threw it up against the backboard, the ball bouncing in as Jason fell flat on the floor.

Whistle. Timeout, Meguro, with a minute and a half left in the half.

.

"Amazing half guys! Amazing half!" Stewart shouted, glancing up at the scoreboard. HOME - 36, AWAY - 41. The crowd was in a mild state of shock. "If we keep this up, we can do this!"

TK sat on the bench, sweat cascading down his entire body, hair soaked.

"TK, amazing job, you did everything...I'll give you the first half of the third quarter off-"

TK shook his head. "We can't do that. Put me in the first two or three minutes, then take me out until Tony comes back in."

"Kid, c'mon, you're exhausted, I'm not gonna ride you into the ground." Stewart pointed at Vincent. "We'll be fine."

"I can go, I can go," TK insisted. "I can get whatever I want against the backup power forward, just give me three minutes against him before Tony comes back in. I got ten minutes before the third quarter starts, I'm fine."

"Alright," Stewart said. "Luke, take the first part of the third quarter off. Steve, their center is good but he's not very strong, just keep him away from the basket and we'll live with jumpshots. I'm calling a timeout at the five minute mark and the whole bench goes in except for Davis and Luke."

Ken went over to TK and splashed some water on him from a bottle.

"Hey, don't do that," TK grunted. "There's backwash in there."

"It's a new bottle." Ken sat down next to him. "You alright?"

"Yeah," TK said. "When the third quarter starts, just feed me on the post. This guy can't stop me, we'll get a good shot every single time."

"Who else would I feed?" Ken looked around. "Seriously though, if you want to take a few possessions off-"

"I'm fine, I'm coming out in three minutes. I'm gonna go as hard as I can for three minutes, then I get some time off. I'm not gonna have to work hard defensively until Tony comes back in, we need to take advantage of that."

"I'm so turned on right now."

TK spun around to see Kari standing behind him, looking right at him, smiling.

"That's nice," TK grunted. "Go back to your seat you doofus, I'm in the zone right now."

"Ooohh, TK, please, take me right now on the court. Ravish me, you magnificent-"

"Go away!" TK pointed at the bleachers to their right. Kari skipped away, cackling to herself.

"She's one of a kind," Ken muttered, watching Kari walk away.

"Good thing too." TK shook his head back and forth rapidly a few times.

.

TK rose up for the rebound, snatching it away froom his man, quickly getting it over to Ken and taking off down the court. He glanced up at the clock. Five and a half minutes to go. He had one more possession left before sitting down. His chest was burning and his muscles aching, but the knowledge that he only had one more play left fueled him. He stopping on the right wing, about seventeen feet from the basket, as Ken started looking the defense over from the top.

In a flash, TK spun off his man and took off towards the basket. Ken got it to him just as another defender rotated over to block his path, so TK shuffled it under the basket to Luke.

Another player rotated over to Luke, so Luke quickly threw it into the corner to Davis, who rose up for the shot. TK saw the shot was short and took off towards the left side, edging past the center and watching the ball bounc off the rim. He jumped up and grabbed the offensive rebound, bumping the center away from it, then rose up and quickly got the layup in before anyone could get over to him.

HOME - 40 AWAY - 51. Timeout Meguro. The crowd was dead silent.

Further seeped in sweat, TK walked to the bench and remained standing up straight so he could continue to get air into his lungs. He could hear Kari, Yolei, and one or two others scattered in the crowd whooping it up. TK was tempted to tell them to cool it before the rest of the crowd decided to take them behind the gym after the game, but he decided he preferred the idea of taking a few minutes to do nothing.

After his heart slowed down, he took a seat next to Ken and Marcus, pushing his hair out of his face.

"You're possessed right now," Ken said slowly. "I've only seen you do this once before, and that was against some scrub."

"I'm competitive," TK replied. "I see this guy who's...doing the things he's doing, and I wanna shock the world."

"You're shocking the world right now." Ken looked to his left. "Tony's staying on the bench. Get ready to chase him around everywhere as soon as you go back in."

TK continued to suck in oxygen, sitting back on the bench. "He's got nothing. He's all flash. He goes for my first move every time, and he's got no jumper. As long as I stay in front of him I like my chances, he's afraid to shoot over people unless he's right at the basket."

"He's a freak though. Some American college is getting a hell of a recruit next year." Ken sat back as well as Meguro inbounded.

"Keep feeding me." Meguro's shooting guard drove to the basket, Luke getting over just enough to contest it and force a miss that Vincent grabbed on a bounce. "It's gotta be me. Davis can't get open on those double screens, they're rotating over to him. And Jason's just beating his head into a brick wall by driving into the paint. The bench is gonna give up a part of this lead here, so we're gonna have to keep going full throttle."

Derrick tried to dribble into a straight-on three that bounced off the left side of the rim and was rebounded by the massive Meguro center.

"I know the plan. Just sit back and relax for a few minutes," Ken said.

TK watched Meguro penetrate into the lane and get a layup, then sat back and closed his eyes.

.

"He looks so...exhausted." Yolei watched TK go onto the court to start the fourth quarter. Meguro inbounded it and started their offense. Eight minutes left, Rakunan holding a 60-53 lead.

TK had gotten the entire rest of the third quarter off as Tony remained on the bench, the Meguro coach carefully conserving the two fouls he had left. A pair of threes by Derrick helped the Rakunan bench maintain a decent lead, even as the Meguro center had his way on the other end.

Ken and TK ran the pick and roll, the center stepping over to block TK from the rim. TK quickly got it over to Luke as the rotation left him open, Luke turned and fired it out to Jason, who swung it back to Ken driving into the lane. Ken rose up for a layup, but Tony jumped from the other side of the lane and slapped it over to one of the Meguro players.

Meguro ran off on the fast break, Tony getting ahead of the pack. TK tried to sprint to catch up, but there wasn't anything he could do as the ball was thrown up around the rim and Tony rose up to slam it emphatically.

Kari bit her lower lip as the crowd rose as one to cheer. "Does this guy ever get tired?"

.

The crowd went bonkers and TK grimaced. He glanced up at the clock, wishing it would hurry up.

Ken brought the ball up, Davis running around three screens in an attempt to get open on the left side. Davis got open for a split second on the wing and Ken got the ball out to him, but he was quickly covered by the opposing center, who leaped up with his hand to block a possible shot.

Davis quickly scuttled the ball in to TK, who quickly spun and put the ball in the basket before Tony could get back to him after the confusion from all the screens.

Down on the other side, Tony got the ball in the post and turned to face TK. TK stayed back, a few feet away from him, ready for Tony to make a move to the basket. Tony rose up for a nine foot jumper that rolled in, then back out, TK grabbing the rebound and getting it over to Ken.

TK jogged down to the other side as the offense set up, feeling his legs aching. He camped on the left wing as Ken dribbled around, waiting. Ken finally went to the left, driving to the basket. Tony just barely leaned in to try to block Ken, and TK took off towards the basket.

Ken got him the ball, and no help was coming over, so TK rose towards the basket. A large hand smacked him in the face in the eyes, and he fumbled the ball out of bounds as he fell to the ground. He heard the referee whistle, then slowly got back up.

He turned around and Tony was standing here, arms out to his sides. "Sorry man, I was going for the ball."

"It happens," TK answered, shaking his head and giving Tony a pat on the shoulder, walking up to the free throw line. He looked over and saw the referee give the hand signal for a flagrant foul.

.

"What's that mean?" Yolei asked, pointing at the referee.

"Flagrant Foul Level One." Kari watched TK slowly prep a free throw. "It's a foul that's ruled to be overly violent and potentially harmful to the player. The player gets two foul shots and the team gets to keep the ball for the next possession. Two Flagrant Foul Level Ones and the player gets ejected."

TK bounced the ball a few times, then knocked down the free throw.

"Are there other levels?" Yolei asked as TK walked around for a second before getting the ball back.

"Level two is when the referee things it was intentional, and is an immediate ejection. But he was just trying to go for the block, didn't look intentional." She shifted uneasily.

TK missed the second free throw, but Rakunan was given the ball underneath the basket to inbound. TK watched everyone dart around for a second, then threw it in to Davis on the left corner.

Davis pump faked a shot, then dribbled one step in around his defender and passed it over to Marcus on the left wing. Marcus hot-potatoed it to Ken, but the pass was picked off by the point guard, and the break was on.

Meguro took off, Tony blazing down the court. The Meguro point guard threw it up to him, and in a few quick strides he was slamming it home before anyone could get back to stop him.

.

Six point lead with a little more than five minutes left. The crowd went wild. TK's whole body was hurting, but he trotted down into position all the same.

Ken dribbled around for as long as he could at the top, trying to use time, before finding Davis open on the left wing after a double screen. Davis spun and shot, but the shot was off, bouncing off the right side of the rim and over to Tony, who took off down the court again.

TK sprinted down, just barely managing to stay in front of the offense, forcing Tony to slow up and get the ball over to the point guard. TK stayed between Tony and the basket as he repeated his act of running around, waiting for a lane to get open, just trying to find a way to get the ball around the rim.

Finally, TK got just half a step behind Tony, and that was all he needed. Tony slithered past him and ran to the basket. The ball got lobbed right in front of him, and Tony jammed it into the rim as Luke ran over and fouled him in a futile effort to keep him away from the basket. Basket counts, three point play. Bedlam.

TK put his hands down on his knees and bent over, sucking in more air as the gym exploded. It was so hot in here, he was losing pounds of sweat, and somehow Tony didn't seem to be tired at all.

TK went over to the right side of the lane as Tony got his free throw ready. Four minutes and change to go. TK tried to think of the fact that, after this game was over, he could go lay down on a bed for the rest of the day, and by this evening he would forget about this pain and exhaustion completely. But it did very little to make him feel any better right now.

Tony hit the free throw. Three point lead. TK grabbed the ball and inbounded to Ken before jogging all the way down to the low block.

Ken milked the clock as much as he could again, then got it to TK on the block. TK still felt exhausted, and simply spun and put up a fallaway jumper with Tony's hand in his face. The shot bounced off the far side of the rim and Tony grabbed the rebound.

Immediately, TK sprinted down, mind focusing on one singular goal. He knew it was coming, he knew what he needed to do, and he fought his body every step of the way trying to get it done. He finally stopped when he got close to the basket and turned around to see Tony receive a pass on the right wing, about 17 feet from the basket, then turn to face him.

TK forgot about everything else as Tony barrelled right towards him, watching his body move. It was a simple question. He wasn't shooting over him, he wasn't passing it, and he wasn't going to try a post move. He was going around TK, either left or right. If TK guessed right, the game would turn. If he guessed wrong, one point lead and pandemonium in the crowd.

Tony planted his right foot in front of TK, so TK shuffled to his left and put his feet solidly onto the court underneath him. Tony collided right into his chest, knocking him over and blasting the wind out of his lungs. The ball sailed out of bounds underneath the basket.

TK rolled his head over to look at the referee.

Offensive foul. Fifth foul on Tony. Rakunan ball out of bounds. Tony slapped the court in frustration as he got up.

.

"He did it!" Kari screamed as everyone else booed lustily. "He pulled it off! He fouled out!"

"Is he okay?" Yolei asked timidly, looking at TK laying down on the court.

"Of course he's okay!" Kari responded. "Just a collison, nothing too bad, he's fine."

TK slowly got to his feet and walked down the court. Meguro substituted their backup power forward in.

"So does that mean we win?" Yolei looked around at the unhappy audience.

"It helps. We've got three and a half minutes to protect a three point lead, and we've got momentum." Kari rubbed her hands together as Ken took the ball down the court.

"Ken, Davis, Quincy, TK, Luke," Kari said to herself. "Crunch time five. Here we go."

Ken got the ball to Quincy in the left corner, who rose up and shot it over his defender. Kari could see TK's shoulders slump as the shot hit the back of the rim and bounce over to the Meguro center.

.

"C'mon Ken," TK muttered to Ken on the way down the court. Without Tony in the game, the Meguro offensive pace wasn't nearly as fast. "We can't mess around with Quincy right now."

"It was worth the gamble." Ken dropped into a defensive stance and TK fell back around the rim.

The ball was dumped into the center thirteen feet from the rim, who spun and took a shot. Luke got a hand in his face and the shot bounced off the backboard without hitting the rim. TK rose up and grabbed the rebound away from the Meguro backup power forward, hugging it for a second before getting it over to Ken.

Two minutes left. Davis started running through screens, this time running from the right to left through two, then doubling back and running through two more to get back to the right, where Ken got him the ball. He spun and faked a shot, getting a defender to jump up and fly right past him going for the block, then got the wide open shot off.

Sunk it. Four point lead, a sense of panic in the crowd. TK could feel it as he dropped back on defense. The Meguro players were panicking too. They quickly passed the ball around the top before the shooting guard tried a long three with Davis defending well. Bounced off the rim harmlessly, right to TK.

The crowd remained quiet as Ken brought it up, milking the clock down to a minute. TK jogged around the right side, from the low block to the high block. The center was shading over to him, ready to double as soon as he got the ball, obviously not afraid of Luke scoring.

Finally, with seven seconds left on the shot clock, Ken made his move, crossing his man over and driving a couple steps into the paint. Three defenders collapsed towards him, and TK spun towards the basket. Ken lobbed it over the defense, two feet to the right of the rim, and TK jumped. He caught the ball on the way up and quickly laid it through the rim before the defense could recover.

Six point lead. Fifty seconds left. Crowd groaning. TK ran down the court, pumping his fist, as the whistle sounded. Timeout Meguro.

He ran over to the bench where everyone was celebrating and hugging already, everyone bouncing off each other as the coach tried to settle them down.

"Alright, alright! One more stop and this game is a free throw shooting contest. Let's get that one more stop before we celebrate. Everyone just take a few seconds to relax, and let's get ready for one last defensive set.

No longer feeling tired, TK ran back onto the court, pacing around and waiting for Meguro to break their huddle. The whole team was gathered around him, clapping and giving him high-fives. TK had no idea what his statistics were like, he had lost count ages ago, but he had to admit he couldn't wait to find out.

Meguro broke huddle and quickly inbounded the ball, running up. Another quick possession ended in a contested long three pointer that clanked off to TK, who was immediately intentionally fouled by the center with a light chop on his arms. Everyone walked down towards the free throw line on the other side, TK already practicing his free throw shooting motion.

A few seconds later, TK had hit both free throws, and everyone started to realize it. The game was over. The crowd was still in a mild state of shock as Meguro quickly dribbled up into another bad three that airballed out-of-bounds. TK quickly inbounded to Ken, who dribbled up past half court and stood there, letting the seconds tick off the clock, until time officially ran out.

.

"They know your name now," Kari said. She was kneeling on the foot of the bed, squeezing TK's massive feet between her small fingers, massaging them. "Everyone does."

TK was laying back on her bed, eyes closed and hands clasped on his stomach, enjoying Kari's foot massage. Ken was seated on the floor with a laptop in front of him, Davis looking over his shoulder.

"By the time I get up they'll have forgotten my name," TK murmured. "I might hibernate for a month." He had taken a long cold shower immediately after getting to Kari's apartment, then collapsed on her bed and stayed there all afternoon.

"Oh, you'll be fine by monday," Kari responded.

"How are your fingers so strong?" TK opened one eye and looked down at her.

She shrugged. "Good genes, I guess."

"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Ken suddenly exclaimed. "Max Preps just published an article about the game!"

"Already?" TK leaned his head up slightly. "That was fast."

"Information age, my friend, everything is fast." Ken's eyes darted over the screen. "Oh boy, do they know your name now."

"Read it!" Kari turned to Ken, hands still on TK's feet. "I wanna hear!"

Ken cleared his throat. "Rakunan has never been a basketball school, content to merely have a team that occasionally wins and helps keep ten or so of their students in shape every year. This year, however, it seems they are indeed playing to win the game. Rakunan's shocking upset of perennial contender and elite basketball program Meguro happened for a variety of surprising reasons. Starting point guard Ken was credited with sixteen assists and two steals."

"What, they don't know our last names?" Davis asked. "Lame."

"They probably had to publish this thing fast," Ken reasoned. "Defensive stalwart Center Luke registered eight rebounds and four blocks, going toe to toe with a center who had nearly half a foot on him. Shooting guard Davis overcame a typically suffocating perimeter defense to have twelve points and two three-pointers. But the biggest reason for the shocking upset that hardly anyone saw coming had to be the play of star Power Forward Takeru, a name this website will certainly be watching in the next four years."

"See, see!" Kari said, looking at TK. "They're already talking about you!"

"A fourteen-year-old freshman and standing at six feet tall, 'TK' as he is most frequently called was given the unenviable task of playing against Senior superstar Tony Gomes. As any frequent reader of this website knows, Gomes is usually an unstoppable force in games, averaging twenty-three points and eleven rebounds a game as a Junior on pure athleticism. He can't shoot, he has no post moves, and it doesn't matter. He runs around everyone, he jumps over everyone, he out-muscles everyone, and all who get in his way just end up staring in admiration. This website previouslu predicted Gomes would average twenty-five points and thirteen rebounds this season and be recruited to Kentucky to play college basketball for one season before going pro if he grew another half foot or more."

"Who's this article about again? Geez." Davis tapped his hand on the ground.

"Tony's game is great, but reckless. He does things he shouldn't and gets away with it because he's just bigger, faster, and stronger than everyone else. He's all energy, running around like a madman to grab rebounds and dunk on defenders, leaping across the court to get blocks. This stood in direct contrast to TK's game today, which was all about discipline, thought, and precision. Six feet tall, TK is gifted with effective and varied post-moves, the rebounding gene, and the vision to pass to the open man when he gets double teamed. TK played a whopping twenty-eight minutes today, totalling thirty-six points. How he got those points was particularly notable. He got position in the post, waited for the pass, then put his defender in a nightmare. If he was guarded by Tony, he'd fake one way then go the other way, getting Tony up in the air in a misguided block attempt and then easily getting right past him. If anyone else, he'd wiggle back and forth and make one of several post moves that nobody could predict and few could stop."

"You listening?" Kari asked, squeezing his toes between her fingers. "You hearing this?"

"Seventeen rebounds also went TK's way. He boxed out and grabbed defensive boards, he weaved around defenders and grabbed his teammates' misses, either getting a fresh possession or going right back up for a score of his own. Five assists. Eventually the defense was completely terrified of his scoring and would double team him constantly. TK got defenses to commit to him, then found whoever was left open. He didn't just score for the offense; for a part of the game he ran it. Three blocks, including a particularly shocking one on Tony Gomes. Speaking of Tony, the future star was strangely forgettable today. Tony registered just twelve points and six rebounds with two blocks, all perhaps half what we have come to expect. To cap off this disappointing game, Tony fouled out with several minutes left in the fourth, leaving his team without their best player to close out what eventually became a loss."

"People are gonna take note of this man, this is glowing!" Davis exclaimed.

"Tony's game is reckless, and TK took advantage of this by using double and triple moves in the post to get him jumping one way while he went the other, sometimes even creating a foul. Tony's game is predicated on intimidation and fear, and TK countered this by fearlessly stepping in and taking two charges on Tony drives to the basket, including the one that sent Tony to the bench permanently. Tony's game is about getting to the basket, and TK played this by playing away from him, staying between him and the basket, daring him to take jumpers. Tony's game requires him to be faster than everyone else, and TK gave every last bit of energy he had to keeping him from outrunning him. It worked brilliantly, and this website will continue to keep an eye on this freshman power forward. If he continues to grow through his late teens, we might be talking about him as a college prospect just like Tony in three years."

"Told ya!" Kari said, squeezing TK's calves. "I knew it! Look at how they talk!"

"They have to talk like that, they're the media, they want to get reader attention." TK licked his lips. "It says it right in the article, it's only a college thing if I keep growing. And I don't see that happening."

"TK, as someone who's done research on this topic, I'd be shocked if you don't grow more in the next three years." Ken did some typing on his laptop. "In fact, I could make you a probability chart."

"That won't be necessary," TK insisted. "All this college basketball talk is way too far out there for me. Would you tell a little kid who was good with an easy-bake oven that they should become a five-star chef when they grow up?"

"It's not the same thing," Davis said. "If you take the game that you have right now and plant it into the body of a...six foot six or six foot eight body, that's a college basketball player, and a damn good one!"

"Look, let's just think about this High School thing first." TK held his hand up. "I promise that, when the time comes, if it's practical, I'll think about it, but for now it's just absurd."

Kari pouted. "You're no fun." She grabbed his left ankle and started to scrabble her nails on his sole, prompting him to bark out a surprised laugh and pull his legs away.

"Let's just keep thinking about what's going on now." TK looked over at Ken and Davis. "And don't count on that from me every week, I thought I was going to collapse on the court at the end there."

"I assume you'll want to stay the night?" Kari crawled up his body, laying down on top of him.

"Please. I'm not moving from this spot for at least two days." TK wiggled his body back and forth on the bed.

"Oh, that's great, so where do I sleep?" Kari rolled over next to him.

"Right there," TK shrugged. "What's the problem?"

"You want us to sleep on the same bed now?" Kari asked, smirking. "You wanna talk about giving people ideas? What are they gonna think if we start sharing a bed?"

"Then sleep on the couch, like I do." TK offered. "I do it all the time."

"But it's my room. I should be able to sleep in my room," Kari insisted, trying to push TK off the bed lightly.

"Then sleep on the floor! What's the big deal?" TK rooted himself to the spot.

"It's my bed! I want to sleep on my bed!" Kari started to push harder.

"Fine. If you can push me off the bed, you can have it." TK reached over and grabbed her in a bearhug, hugging her tight to his chest, pinning her arms to her side. "Any time now."

"Hey! No fair!" She wiggled back and forth, trying to worm her arms out, kicking her legs around. "Lemme go!"

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Davis stood up. "I'm out. This is like the worst reality show ever."

"Yeah, I'm gone too." Ken stood up, closed his laptop and picked it up. "Yolei's gonna want a night dedicated to her after all this basketball stuff you've had her doing, wish me luck."

"What? She gonna make you give her a pedicure or something?" TK asked, still hugging the wriggling Kari.

"No...we might watch The Notebook or something," Ken shrugged. "Great game today, see ya."

Ken and Davis both left the room, leaving Kari to continue to struggle for freedom.

"C'mon! It's my bed, it's my room, it's my apartment!" she yelled.

"And yet, here we are," TK teased, lifting his legs up and pinning Kari's feet under his so she couldn't kick either.

Kari sighed. "If you let me go and let me have my bed I'll make you dinner," she finally said. "And dessert."

"You were gonna do that anyway." TK poked her stomach with his left hand a few times, causing her to titter.

"H-hey! Knock it off!" She squirmed around. "Okay, fine. If you let me go and let me have my bed tonight I'll feed you dessert too."

"That a girl," TK slowly released her from the bearhug, letting her sit up. She turned around and hit him a few times on the chest before falling back down on top of him.

"Jerk," she muttered, smirking all the same.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

.

"Did you ever think you'd be so popular at school?" Davis asked, looking around the cafeteria. The walls of the lunchroom had been covered with posters of the basketball team, banners near the ceiling bearing 'RAKUNAN WILDCATS' on them. Everyone was suddenly talking about the team, you couldn't walk down a hallway without people commenting on the upset of two days ago. And what's more, TK, Ken and Davis couldn't walk down one of those hallways without being greeted by half-a-dozen people. Sure, their Junior High exploits on the team the previous year had gotten them known, but the wave of basketball fever that was sweeping the student body now was insane.

"What are you talking about?" TK looked over at Davis, sitting next to him at the table. "I've always been popular at school! I was popular in elementary school, junior high, and now I'm popular here, same stuff different day!"

"Oh, well, sure...but you were never this popular," Davis mumbled, waving behind him at a couple people who were trying to catch his eye.

"I got asked to the stupid junior prom eight times in one day last year!" TK said. "That's more than...one girl per hour."

"It was actually exactly one girl per hour," Ken cut into the conversation, sitting down next to TK. "Being that one of them wasn't a girl."

"Right," TK grumbled. "And Ken has always been the super-genius who can kick your butt in a fight. The only times he wasn't popular in school was when he was being a douche."

"I was actually popular then too," Ken said. "You'd be surprised how many girls approach you when you're being a douche."

"Yeah...I guess you're right. We've always been popular." Davis poked at his sandwich.

"Well, I mean...people knew who you were." TK picked up his sandwich and took a bite out of it.

"I was popular!" Davis hissed.

"You were loud," Ken offered. "I mean, popular's a strong word."

"You guys suck," Davis grunted.

"Whatever." Ken glanced behind him. "How's your three point shot?"

"Money in the bank." Davis answered. "Work on it constantly."

"I've done a little research, this might be your week to shine." Ken crossed his right leg over his left. "This team we're playing, pretty bad. They use that elementary school philosphy of crowding the area around the basket on defense. They give opponents open shots from the outside, figuring that at least those shots are harder than ones near the basket."

"Well, I guess it's true." TK shrugged.

"TK, if you get the ball down low expect three guys to swarm you. Just get the ball out to the perimeter, we'll shoot them out of the gym. These guys might suck, but they try hard." Ken scratched the back of his neck.

"You are so lucky you have me!" Kari exclaimed, suddenly appearing next to the three and plopping down next to Ken. "Seriously, TK, high school girls are vultures!"

"What are you babbling about?" TK leaned over the table to look at her.

"Every two minutes they're asking me about you!" she explained. "Oh, Kari, you're friends with TK, aren't you? What kind of food does he like? Is he really six feet tall? What's his shoe size?"

"You've always had to fight to keep me, comes with the territory." TK grinned to himself. "C'mon, nothing you're not used to."

"Not like this." Kari sighed. "They actually ask me for advice on how to ask you out. How they hell do they not know we're dating?"

"We're clearly not making out in public enough," TK said dryly, poking at his pile of potato chips.

"So yeah, I don't think they like me very much anymore," Kari grumbled. "Don't you hate potato chips?"

"Yes." TK rolled his eyes. "My mom doesn't believe me. She doesn't believe a kid can't like potato chips. Keeps thinking I must be getting a bad batch or something."

"So, just so we're clear, we're dating." Kari leaned over the table to look back at TK. "We are dating, no ambiguity about it."

TK put his hands out to his sides defensively. "Of course I know we're dating! How could I not know that?"

"I just want it clear. I don't wanna hear any 'I thought we were just close friends!' crap if I walk in on you swapping saliva with a cheerleader or something." Kari propped her right elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand.

"Fine fine. I'll sign the paperwork tonight," TK said sarcastically. "So how long before my fangirl army saran wraps you to the flagpole half-naked?"

"Not happening. Like I said, I'm going to sick Gatomon on any girl who looks at you wrong." Kari grimaced.

"That would be an abuse of your chosen child status," Ken deadpanned, glancing over at her.

"Then I'll buy a gun," Kari said through gritted teeth.

"That would be an abuse of...something. I don't know what, but...don't do that," Ken replied.

"Oh, chill out," TK said dismissively. "It's not like I'm a...piece of property that anyone could just claim."

"Oh, TK, Max Preps posted your profile on their website!" Ken exclaimed. "I'll show you later. Got your picture, height, weight, statistics...it's pretty cool."

"So weird. They can do all that without my consent. I mean I'm not complaining, it's just weird." TK shrugged. "What about you guys?"

Ken scoffed. "Max Preps is a website for high school players who have realistic college basketball prospects. Not us."

"Why not? I mean, if you're saying I might grow more in the next four years, you guys could too." TK looked back and forth between his two teammates. "C'mon, don't sell yourselves short."

"You're far more interesting a prospect right now, that's just the way it is. I mean, don't worry about it, we don't hate you for it-"

"No, no! You guys are great! Seriously, I joke around sometimes, but you guys deserve attention too!" He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, thinking. "They'll probably be keeping an eye on our games now, you guys are getting a profile!"

"I thought you didn't care about this college basketball talk." Davis smirked.

"I don't, but if I have a profile you guys should have one too!" TK stood up from the table. "Davis, bring your big boy pants to the game on saturday, you're gonna shoot like you've never shot before. Ken, you're gonna dish out assists until they're coming out your nose. You're getting a profile!"

"TK, chill out, it's just a profile on a website!" Ken waved his hands dismissively. "If we deserve to get a profile, it'll happen naturally. We're not jealous or anything, it's not a problem."

"I mean, this is awesome," Davis agreed. "Our friend, our teammate, is getting attention from a recruiting website in America! You're fourteen years old and they're already talking about you. Hey, we're getting attention from it too, y'know."

"Well, alright." TK pursed his lips. "I guess it is pretty cool." He pointed towards the cafeteria door behind them. "I have class."

.

"This is happening, isn't it?" TK wondered out loud. He was laying back on Kari's bed, Kari laying on top of him, both looking up at the ceiling, TK's arms wrapped around her chest. "Don't tell anyone I'm talking to you about this."

"Talking to me about what?" Kari asked.

"This...god, I feel like such a dork. Talking about college after a month in high school." TK rolled his eyes. "But this is so weird. Did you read the information they had about me in that profile? I mean, anyone can read that. People in America who make decisions on who to recruit are gonna read that. I mean, what did it say-"

"Already six feet tall, three or four excellent post moves, natural rebounder and passer, good mid-range game, fantastic footwork, superb effort at all times, high basketball IQ, average defender," Kari recited quickly.

"You memorized my profile." TK licked his lips. "Kinda creepy."

"Or a sign of my affection," Kari suggested, looking up at him.

"Somewhere in the middle." TK grunted. "Anyway, I've been ignoring it the last few days, but...it's starting to really dawn on me. People _expect_ me to play college basketball."

"Oh...people. Who cares what people think?" Kari shrugged.

"Do you expect it?" TK asked, hugging her closer.

"Oh...well, I mean, if it happens, great, if it doesn't, great. It's not really...how does it change anything?" Kari tapped her foot up and down on his knee.

"Well, if people...expect it, what if it doesn't happen? I mean, people think I should be that good, and if I'm not...I mean, this has always just been a thing I did for fun. Now it's...suddenly more than that." He sighed. "Now I go out there and I've got people expecting me to dominate as an obligation. It's different."

"It's not different. You just go out there and do the same thing you've always done. Doing what you've always done got you here." Kari patted his stomach with her right hand. "If it happens, great, if not, great. If it doesn't happen, I promise these expectations are gonna be forgotten in a flash. People don't remember things like that very long."

"I guess," TK squirmed around a little. "It's weird. I just did this because I wanted to get in shape, and now...suddenly people are acting like it might be a meal ticket for me."

"They're not saying it because of things you could do, TK. They're saying it because of things you've done." Kari reached up and patted TK's hands. "What you've done in the last two games, what you did last season, all of it." She sat up. "Well, it's thursday, you feel good enough for some work?"

He nodded.

"Alright, you wanna head to school and use the outdoor track?" Kari scooted herself off the bed and bent down to pick her socks off the floor.

.

Ken faked like he was going to drive into the lane, taking one step inside the three point line, then simply tossed it to his left. Davis was trailing everyone else, having just crossed half-court, and the defense had simply forgotten about him. Davis caught it, and raised to shoot in one motion, three scrambling defenders doing nothing to hinder his shot. It snapped through the basket, sparking a cheer from the crowd.

Yes, this time, it was an actual crowd. The bleachers were crowded, packed tight with spectators, and several dozen folding chairs had been put out as well for excess watchers. Every good play was rewarded with loud, raucous cheers. And there were plenty of those today.

"Get ready to run," Ken whispered to TK as they came back up the court. TK fell back near the basket, but kept his eyes on Ken as he went up to hound the point guard.

They were an awful, awful team. No height, very little basketball talent, and a frenzied way of playing that wasn't too far from what you'd see from a group of ten-year-olds. Two or three players would run to whoever had the ball, always leaving other players wide open. All Rakunan had to do was swing the ball around a few times until it ended up with someone who was all by himself, and they were getting quality shots.

And defensively...

Ken lunged forward and got the opposing point guard to pick up his dribble, then poked the ball from his grip and started dribbling it down the court. TK was watching and took off like a rocket after him.

Ken ran towards the hoop, the other point guard frantically chasing a step behind and trying to reach out for the ball. Ken swung it up towards the basket, but then threw it back over his head to TK, trailing a few steps behind the play. TK caught it and laid it in. More cheers. Timeout.

"I'm not even sure if I'm having fun anymore," TK said to Ken as they made their way over to their bench on the east side of the gym. He glanced up at the scoreboard. HOME - 23 AWAY - 4. Still a minute left in the first quarter. A complete farce.

"It's not like this team isn't used to it," Ken said, turning and waving a little to the stands. "C'mon. They're cheering for us. They're cheering for our success. Soak it in. Enjoy it."

"Oh come on. We may as well be playing against air." TK waved up at Kari, sitting in the front row of the bleachers next to Yolei.

"Look on the bright side. After today, me and Davis will have those profiles you want us to have so bad." Ken sat down on the bench.

"Really? You're gonna get recruiter attention because you played well against these guys?" TK pointed over at the opposing bench. "Somehow, I don't think so."

"Just trust me. I have a feeling."

Davis ran over and sat down next to Ken. TK remained standing as the rest of the team came over to sit down as well.

"Coach!" TK yelled down the bench. "You got anything to say?"

Stewart shrugged, and TK turned back to Ken and Davis. "Alright, but I don't want this team to be known as the jerkoffs who ran up the score on an inferior team. Whatever it is you plan on doing, do it in the first three quarters."

.

TK caught the ball in his right hand down on the low block, held it there a second as three defenders ran in to crowd around him and hold their hands up, then whistled it across the court to the left wing, where Davis caught it and fired from behind the three point line. Swish. The crowd was bored at this point, giving a handful of golf claps as the team fell back on defense.

HOME - 55 AWAY - 9. If there was a mercy rule in high school basketball, it would definitely have kicked in by now. Still thirty seconds left in the first half, the other team brought the ball up. Surprisingly, they didn't seem particularly frustrated or upset at how the game was playing out. They just kept on chugging. It was admirable in a way.

The point guard passed it over to the shooting guard, who immediately threw it right back. Ken read the pass and leaped forward to pick it off, taking off down the court.

It was the same act that had already played out multiple times in that game. Ken dribbling down, the other point guard a step behind and trying to atone for the embarrassing turnover by getting the ball back. At the last second, Ken tossed it around behind his back to Marcus, who rose up to lay it in as the half ended.

"I think we could take the second half off," TK offered as Ken ran over next to him. The two sat down on the bench next to Davis. "I mean, it's already getting to a point where it'd look kinda bad if we kept running up the score."

"No. Logic and mathematics dictate that any lead built up in the first sixteen minutes of a game, no matter how large, can be erased in the next sixteen." Ken leaned back on the chair.

"Oh come on. We could play another hundred and sixty minutes and they couldn't catch up." TK licked his lips. "This is a video game. Set on easy."

"Try to enjoy it," Davis reached underneath his seat for his water bottle. "I looked at our schedule, we've got a tough stretch coming up."

"How am I supposed to enjoy this?" TK put his arms out to his sides. "Let's play a few minutes to start the third and hand the rest of the game off to the bench. Come on. See what they can do."

"We'll give them the fourth. But no one's gonna fault us for going hard in the third. C'mon TK, they're used to it. Games like this happen sometimes, let's just ride it."

TK rolled his eyes. "Alright," he relented. "But you guys run the show." He turned to look behind him at the bleachers, just about everyone staring at him. "This week at school is gonna be the worst."

.

"Psst," someone sitting behind TK buzzed. TK turned his head to the right to look behind him, glancing at someone he didn't recognize. "Great game on saturday."

"Uh...yeah, thanks," TK whispered back, turning back to his desk. He wouldn't exactly call it a great game. Ninety-three to twenty-nine, starters sitting out the entire fourth quarter. TK didn't even do all that much. Eighteen points, ten rebounds, seven assists. Maybe some would consider it a great game, but he had been on cruise control and letting Ken and Davis run the show.

"You guys are awesome, really," he continued to whisper. "I was looking stuff up last night. If we win at least 25 games we're guaranteed a spot in the district tournament. We can definitely do that, can't we?"

"Uhhh...I guess, I mean, that's a long way away." TK picked his pencil up and started writing some diagrams down in his notebook frantically.

"And then all you have to do is win three games, and then there's a national tournament! All the best schools in Japan. Can you imagine playing in that?" he continued to pester TK.

"Uh, nope. I can't, because it's so far away and...one game at a time, you know, take everything as it comes," TK muttered, writing faster and faster.

"You're really fantastic out there. You're really good. Me and my friends were talking. According to Max Preps, the best season in Japanese high school history by a freshman power forward was thirteen points and six rebounds a game. You're probably gonna double that!"

"Oh, you think so?" TK said through gritted teeth. He wasn't even drawing anything meaningful now, just madly scribbling to try to get a point across.

"Hey. You think...I mean, you gotta be thinking it...four years down the road, which college is it gonna be? UCLA? Kentucky? Duke? North Carolina? I mean-"

TK groaned and slammed his face down onto the desk in front of him, accidentally snapping his pencil in half.

"TK, are you alright?"

TK glanced up at the teacher, standing next to his desk, a concerned look on her face and hands clasped in front of her.

"Never better," TK grunted.

.

"With the way things are going, if I don't go out there every week and score thirty points, I'm gonna have half the school following me around, asking me what's wrong!" TK lamented, resting his head on the cafeteria table next to his food. "Driving me crazy."

"Come on man." Davis chewed on the tip of a carrot. "This is high school. If you play good, everyone follows you around to tell you how great you are. If you don't, everyone spends that week talking about...who has pimples, or who got arrested at the party that weekend."

"I don't think so," TK glanced up at Davis. "And don't stare at me when you're eating a carrot! It's weird."

"What?" Davis raised his eyebrows, holding the carrot out to his side.

"It's just...it's weird. Don't do it." TK closed his eyes.

"Can I have everyone's attention, please?"

The three turned around to look at the south wall of the cafeteria, where the principal was standing with a megaphone. Slowly, the buzz of conversation died down and the cafeteria hall was largely silent.

"Thank you! Now, as I'm sure you've all noticed, we at Rakunan have been swept up by Wildcat fever the last couple weeks!" he began.

"I hate our team name. Wildcats," Ken said under his breath. "Every other high school sports team is named the wildcats. It's so lame."

"So we'd just like to thank the three students who have really taken everyone by storm and made this stunning transformation possible! We're really going places with these guys!"

"We've played three games," TK groaned as everyone applauded. "Not even ten percent of the season."

"So this morning, me and a couple of the teachers thought it'd be fun to post the, ah, statline of our three young stars for every game of the season on the wall here, right underneath the team schedule!" The principal turned and pointed at the wall, three sheets of lined paper underneath the schedule.

"Oh god." TK wearily looked up. "Bunch of filthy bandwagoners."

"Will you stop it?" Ken said through gritted teeth. "Just enjoy it. What's the big deal?"

"Right! I've been informed by some students that, apparently, we broke two Japanese high school basketball records on saturday. First, Davis Motomiya, could you stand up please?"

Davis slid out from the seat and waved around the room a couple times as everyone applauded. TK rolled his eyes.

"Davis made eleven three-pointers on saturday, the most three-pointers made by one player in one game in recorded Japanese high school basketball history!" The principal turned to write on the left-most paper on the wall. "He finished with a whopping thirty-nine points!"

More applause, Davis smirked, waving again.

"Next, we have...Ken Ichijouji, a stunning...nineteen assists on saturday, another record! He also had eleven points and ten steals, which I'm told by students is called a triple-double! Ken, stand up!"

Ken complied, easily spinning around and waving before re-taking his seat. The principal wrote some things down on the paper on the right side before turning back around.

"And of course, Takeru Takaishi, eighteen points, ten rebounds, and seven assists. May he continue to be the rock that this team is built around! Stand up, will you, TK?"

TK remained sitting limply, so Davis got up and grabbed him around the waist, then lifted him into a half-standing position. Ken reached over and grabbed his right hand, throwing it up so it gave what could be construed as a wave before flopping back down. Davis set him back down on the chair as the applause died down and the principal wrote more on the paper in the middle.

"Thank you, that's all!" The principal nodded and turned the megaphone off.

"Never do that again." TK looked at Davis and Ken. "I will kill you both if that ever happens again."

"You're being such a butt," Ken said. "Come on, you're famous! You're good at something! Really good! Enjoy it!"

"I was enjoying it!" TK ran his hands through his hair. "Now it's like I have a job. I really don't like being the center of attention either! It's not my thing!"

"Well, maybe this will cheer you up," Ken said, reaching into his left pocket and pulling out an Android phone. "Look at what got posted this morning." He passed it over to TK.

TK lazily took it and looked at the screen. A picture of Ken next to a short bio.

"Oh, you got a profile! Congrats!" TK said, scrolling through it.

Ken shrugged. "You break a record, you get a profile. They at least want to watch you."

"Owns the point guard position...sets teammates up with precision...fast and quick, very smart...good at driving to the basket and scoring close to the basket...great defender...can control the pace of a game...needs to work on shooting." TK stroked his chin. "Pretty cool."

"I can't picture you playing college basketball," Davis said, looking over TK's shoulder at the phone. "Seems like you're destined for more. Won't those recruiters be disappointed."

Ken nodded. "But it's cool to be recognized." He reached over and tapped the screen a few times, and the page changed. "And, of course..."

Davis's picture and bio came up.

"Alright!" Davis exclaimed. "Ding ding!"

"Runs off screens like a madman...brilliant catch and shoot player...range out to twenty-three feet...can not leave him open...gets shot up incredibly quickly...perfect in the role of a spot-up shooter," TK read. "Pretty cool."

"Are you happy now?" Ken asked, reaching over to grab his phone back.

"Go over there and rip those stupid statlines off the wall over there and I'll be happy." TK pointed at the wall. "I can see it now. Oh, TK, I read the tracker today and you only had _eleven_ rebounds on saturday, but you're averaging twelve! Are you okay? Are you sick? Is something wrong? Is it Kari? Are you breaking up with Kari? Oh god, everyone, TK's breaking up with Kari!" He put his head in his hands. "Nightmare."

"Just...come on." Ken looked around uneasily, hoping nobody was watching TK freak out. "Just go out there and play like you know how to play, and ignore everything else. It's all just filler. It's all a product of what you do on the court. Mellow out."

TK heaved a sigh. "Fine." He looked at Davis. "You were right about one thing."

"What's that?" Davis asked.

"I have _never_ been this popular before."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

.

"So I'm hearing you're becoming a big shot on campus?" Matt asked, smirking at his younger brother.

"No! No I am not, don't say that! I am not a big shot!" TK grunted. TK was laying back on his bed, staring at the white ceiling, hands at his sides folded into fists. Matt was leaning against the far wall, hands in his pockets. "God!"

"Chill out, you should be flattered." Matt glanced around the room. "Think about it. You're getting good grades, you've got a great girlfriend, you're the star of the basketball team, and just about everyone in the school likes you, and you're only a freshman!"

"I'd really be happier if you took that fourth thing out of the equation." TK rolled his head to his right to look at his brother. "I'm not like you. I can't do the jam-on-my-guitar-in-front-of-a-thousand-cheering-fans, all-the-ladies-in-the-house-throw-your-panties-at-me, I-make-out-with-a-different-girl-every-night thing."

"I do not make out with a different girl every night," Matt said slowly. "I could, but I don't."

"The point is, yeah I got things pretty great, but...people are analyzing every single thing I do. It's terrifying. I wish I could just...go out there on saturdays, play basketball, people would be happy the team was doing well and clap and stuff, and then that'd be that."

"You gotta be a little used to it by now. I mean, last year, Junior High, you guys got attention." Matt pushed his hair out of his face and put his hand back into his pocket.

"Nothing like this." TK shook his head. "Yeah, we got attention, but it's a lot less people, and this is way bigger. These guys almost worship me. And for what? Because I can put a ball in a basket."

"This mindset won't do you any good. It's gonna make your game worse. You gotta just block out all of the stuff you don't want to think about." Matt suddenly dumped a pile of yen notes on the desk next to TK's bed. "Take Kari out some place nice and get your mind right."

TK glanced over at the pile of money. "Wh-are you dealing drugs? Do you have any idea how disappointed mom is gonna be?"

"I am not dealing drugs." Matt rolled his eyes. "You and your stupid stereotypes. I get paid for gigs, genius. I fill up every place I play, Matt gotta get paid."

"Well, I don't need your money, I'm more than capable of paying for date nights with my own money."

"Yes, if you take her to Jack-In-The-Box. Take her some place real." Matt stabbed at the pile of money on the desk a few times with his finger.

"She says she doesn't want me to spend a bunch of money on her," TK retorted, frowning.

"Yes, that's what she says, but that's not what she actually thinks," Matt said slowly.

"Why would she not say what she actually thinks? That's crazy talk." TK rolled over to face the wall. "Take your money."

"Just do it. Trust me. And try to relax. You're thinking way too hard about this stuff. You got things as good as any freshman in high school could possibly have without having rich parents." Matt turned to walk out of the room.

"I don't need rich parents," TK muttered as Matt closed the bedroom door behind him. "My brother's a cocaine dealer."

.

TK had to admit, the quiet twanging soundtrack in the background had a soothing effect, and the large empty room was peaceful. He had taken Kari to one of those traditionally styled Japanese restaurants where you had to take your shoes off at the front and they gave you a weird silk robe to wear, then took you to a room with walls made out of paper and a table sunk into the floor. It was...different.

"This is so nice! You really didn't have to do this," Kari exclaimed, looking around excitedly at the decorations in the corners of the room. The two were seated on either side of the sunk table, sitting on the floor.

"Yeah, just for clarification, when you say that, is that also what you're thinking, or are you thinking something else and just saying that?" TK asked, putting his elbows on the table.

"You have an incredible talent for overthinking things." Kari shook her head a few times. "How did you afford this anyway?"

"I steal money from the people I kill," TK deadpanned. "Now, my dear older brother seemed to think that an evening like this would help me feel better about everything that's been going on lately, so if we could just jump ahead to that point I'd appreciate it."

"Well," Kari said thoughtfully. "Think about where we are right now. How many high school freshmen get to take their girlrfriend out to a restaurant as nice as this?"

TK rocked back and forth slightly. "Okay, that's...pretty cool, I guess."

"These are the moments that matter. You're with your girlfriend, no one else around, just enjoying a nice, quiet moment. Things like...random kids at the high school running into you in the hall and talking about you like you're a deity, that doesn't matter. Ultimately, this is what matters. Think about that."

One of the walls slid open, and two young women in white robes entered with trays of food.

"So if I woke up tomorrow and was...somehow five feet tall and had lost all my basketball skills, we'd still be cool?" TK asked as the food was set before him and Kari.

Kari nodded at the two waitresses as they left the room. "Well...five foot two at least. Come on now."

TK stared at Kari with sagging shoulders. She laughed to herself as she started on her food.

"Yes. Of course. You'd still be the greatest guy I know, and someone who I cherish and care about. You wake up tomorrow without any basketball skill, your life is still awesome. That's the point." Kari nodded with finality. "So you just enjoy these moments, and remember that they're yours, regardless of what you can do on a basketball court."

TK gave a small smile and started on his own tray of food.

.

"You took Kari where?" Ken asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it was actually kinda nice." TK shrugged. "Not something I'd do all the time, but it was fun."

"How did you...are you selling drugs?" Davis asked, squinting at TK.

"No. No...it was Matt's idea. He sells drugs. Like, constantly. He's like a freaking seven-eleven, only if seven-eleven sold drugs."

"So nothing like seven-eleven," Ken responded. "Do you have any idea how many professional basketball careers were derailed by cocaine use in the seventies?"

"I am not on cocaine!" TK snapped. "I am fourteen years old!"

"That doesn't mean anything. Look at Drew Barrymore." Ken glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the cafeteria.

"Who's Drew Barrymore?" Davis asked.

"American Actress," Ken answered. "The little girl in E.T."

"She was on cocaine?" Davis spat.

"Well, not when she was in E.T. Like a few years later. She was really young though." Ken tapped his chin a few times. "Like, eleven. Really bad stuff."

"I've never seen E.T.," TK said. "I have no idea what you guys are talking about."

"Damn, that's weird." Davis looked over at TK. "I've never seen Forrest Gump."

"Stupid movie," Ken muttered. "Don't bother. Hate it."

"What, are you one of those 'the book was better' dorks?" Davis asked.

"There was a Forrest Gump book?" TK interjected, crossing his arms over themselves on the table in front of him. "Huh. Actually now that I think about it, it's sort of obvious."

"Hey, dorks."

The three turned to look at the other side of the table. Kari had just taken a seat there.

"Game tomorrow. Any thoughts?" she asked, looking back and forth between the three.

"Uh...yeah..." Ken slowly reached into his right pants' pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This team, Kyoto High, is...generally pretty good." He started looking the slip over. "Uh, twenty wins or more every year the last six years...got to the national tournament a few years ago, but all the guys who were on that team are gone. They're just...all-around solid it seems. Three big men who can play, good perimeter players, they pass it well...it's just a smart team that knows how to play together."

"Kinda like us?" Davis asked.

"Well...no. I mean, this team has ten players and all ten of them can ball. I wish we had that. They don't have anyone as good as TK, but it's a real team," Ken answered.

"This sounds dangerous." TK sucked in his right cheek. "We're going to their gym too. Let's make sure we bring it."

"Well, at least we got ourselves another sharpshooter." Davis grinned. "I mean, I know nobody noticed because of my work, but...Quincy, man. Four three pointers last week, you guys notice?"

"Yeah, good thing too," TK said dully. "If it wasn't for him, we would have only won by fifty-two."

"Why do you hate him?" Ken asked, hands out at his sides. "You've seen him in practice, he's like a shooting machine, you have any idea how valuable that could be?"

"In practice," TK repeated. "I don't hate him. I don't hate anyone. All four of those threes came in the fourth quarter, sorry that I'm not completely sold. He's only good when the game is over."

"Well, let's give him time. He'll come around. We do need him. Maybe not yet, but eventually, we'll need him." Ken cleared his throat. "So anyway, things aren't gonna be easy this time, we'll have to work for stuff. And we'll have to play a lot, these guys have depth that we don't."

.

Kari and Yolei walked around the empty, vacated basketball gym. "So, you think you understand things pretty well now?"

"Yeah, it's a...pretty good game. Pretty fun." Yolei walked around aimlessly. "But uh...what's the paint?"

"The paint?" Kari repeated.

"Yeah, I hear people talk about 'the paint' all the time. But what does it mean?" Yolei looked up at the basket.

"Well, it's an area on the court." Kari went underneath one of the baskets. "See this rectangle? One end starts under the basket, the other end is at the free throw line?" She pointed at the free throw line. "Everything in this rectangle is called 'the paint.'"

"Ohhh...I don't know how that didn't occur to me."

"So when someone says 'points in the paint', they're talking about points scored by a player who was in the paint when he shot it. There's 'protect the paint' which is playing defense in the paint," Kari continued. "It's a good way of measuring how many high percentage shots you're getting, because shots in the paint are generally better shots to take than ones from further out, but they're also harder to get."

"Okay, that clears things up a little bit." Yolei nodded.

Kari pointed at the out of bounds line that ran underneath the basket, over to both court corners. "That's the baseline." She pointed at the two corners. "Those are the corners. So, like, if someone is shooting a left-corner three, that means they shot it from the left corner. A left-baseline jumper is from next to the left-baseline."

Yolei continued to nod as Kari stepped up to the free throw line, then kept walking away from the basket a few steps until she was past the three-point line. "This is the top." She pointer with her left and right hands to the areas of the court to her sides, just behind the three point line. "The wings. Left wing, right wing."

"It's all coming together. Like a...like a puzzle," Yolei said.

"And, uh..." she stepped forward again, taking a stand on the free throw line, then shuffled to the left until she was standing on the top left corner of the paint. "Left elbow. If someone shoots a left elbow jumper it means it was from here. And...oh yeah." She stepped into the paint. "An offensive player can't stay in the paint for more than three seconds at a time. If they do, the other team gets the ball. They have to leave the paint, just put one foot out of the paint, and then come back every three seconds if they want to camp there."

"What's the point of that?" Yolei raised her eyebrows.

"It's to keep the super-tall players from completely dominating. Imagine you're a guy who could just stand underneath the basket the entire game, hold your hands up, catch passes, and score. It's too easy, players could score a hundred points a game. At least this way they have to move around and work a little bit." Kari tapped her foot on the ground a few times. "Defenders can't stay in the paint for more than three seconds at a time either, unless they're clearly defending another player. If they do, the offensive team gets to shoot one free throw and keeps the ball."

"Hmmm...I'm a little confused by dribbling rules. I mean, it vaguely makes sense, but..."

"Well...let's see. If you have the ball you have to start dribbling when you start moving, or it's travelling and the other team gets the ball. Once you stop dribbling, you get two steps before you have to get rid of the ball one way or another. Three steps, that's travelling too, other team gets the ball."

"Three steps, got it..." Yolei nodded.

"Once you dribble, then stop dribbling, you can't start dribbling again. Double dribble, other team gets the ball. At that point you have to pass or shoot. And you also get a pivot foot." Kari planted her right foot down on the court, then started moving her left foot around, spinning her body around. "If I'm not dribbling, I'm allowed to move one foot around as much as I want, but the other foot has to stay where it is. And I can't change my pivot foot."

"I'm following." She checked her watch. "I should probably get home now, though."

"Oh! And if you're not dribbling, you can't jump and come back down with the ball. Up and down, other team gets the ball." Kari mimicked jumping while holding an invisible ball. "Once you jump, you're committed to either passing or shooting before your feet touch the ground."

"Got it, got it." Yolei held her hands out. "Am I allowed to go home now?"

"Yeah, yeah. See you tomorrow. Spend some time with Ken tonight. Make him feel good. We gotta have him at his best tomorrow," Kari called out.

"I don't gotta do anything," Yolei said. "Ken is on point. Sharp as a tack. He knows how to handle himself. Nothing fazes him."

"Is that so?" Kari said wistfully. "Well, I gotta say. I'm kinda jealous."

.

Luke knocked the jump ball back to Ken, who caught it and immediately started dribbling up with the offense. Immediately, TK went down to the low block and started fighting for position, just a step or two outside the paint. His defender didn't give him anything easy, pressing against his back and waving his arm around in front of him to make any entry pass difficult.

Ken lobbed it in to TK, TK using his body as a shield to keep his defender from the ball as he caught it. He started to dribble, pressing up into his opponent, slowly backing him towards the basket.

Suddenly, he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and simply threw a bounce pass towards the basket, without looking, past his defender. Marcus had taken off, from the right wing towards the basket, and his defender was a couple steps behind. Marcus caught it and immediately rose up for a layup for anyone could recover to block it.

Everyone fell back to the other side, where the opposing point guard sized up Ken. TK couldn't help but notice that he was a few inches taller and maybe twenty pounds heavier than Ken. In a flash, the point guard charged into the paint towards the basket, Ken a step behind. Luke ran over to provide help defense, blocking the basket. The point guard whistled the ball into the right corner, where Davis's man was a couple steps open, as Davis had shaded into the lane a couple steps towards the charging Kyoto player. Marcus swung over from the top to rotate over to the corner, and the player who caught the ball immediately hurled it to the top, where Marcus's man was now open. Everything happened so fast, passes crisp and quick, that TK didn't notice his man had stepped out to the left wing. Ken ran out to defend the man Marcus had left, and the pass went over to that left wing, behind the three point line. TK was a couple steps too slow, and his man got off an uncontested three pointer that swished through.

"He's got three point range," Ken said to TK as Rakunan took the ball from out of bounds and dribbled up.

"No kidding," TK grumbled, angry at himself for losing concentration and letting his man get open. He got to the right wing, five feet inside the three point line, and called for the ball before the defense got up to him.

He caught it and turned to his defender, standing between him and the basket. He held the ball low, glancing around, then took off towards the basket. He went to the right of his man, blowing past him on his way to the basket.

The defender tried to keep up, and TK saw a second defender running over to contest his shot at the basket. TK made as if he was going to try to shoot through him, then kept going underneath the basket and flipped it up towards the rim. The two defenders had jumped up to stop the shot that never went up and could do nothing as TK's shot flew in.

Kyoto was quick to get their own offense up. They moved fast, never letting the defense relax. They were definitely competent, and definitely knew what they were doing. They got the ball into the low post against Luke, then kicked it to someone cutting into the lane, who hot potatoed it to the opposite low post, who got it into the corner, who threw it to the top, who got the ball back into the low post...it was maddening. Eventually, someone got open, and the Kyoto shooting guard hit a fifteen foot jumper from the left baseline over Davis.

"Play the passing lanes!" Ken called out as he caught the ball that Luke inbounded. "Slow them down!"

Ken slowly took the ball up, getting to behind the three point line, then suddenly rocketed to the basket, going left, right around his man. Everyone half expected him to pass out of the drive, so Ken took the opportunity to simply go right to the basket, teardrop it over the center who lunged a second too late, and put it right in the cup.

Down on the other end, they quickly got the ball into the low post and the opposing center tried a up-and-under move on Luke, who was able to block the shot back out of the paint, ending up in the hands of their small forward. He tried to quickly whistle it back into the low post, but TK leaped out and grabbed the ball.

Ken held his hand out and TK threw him the ball as the rest of the players made their way up the court. Ken then signaled to Coach Stewart, who called a timeout. TK looked at Ken oddly. They were only a couple minutes into the game.

"What's up?" Davis asked as the team got into a huddle around their bench.

"You see what they're doing?" Ken asked. "Guys, this is important. They're trying to run. Play a fast-pace. Get shots up as fast as they can."

"Yeah, they're good at it too." Luke nodded.

"They're trying to trick us," Ken continued. "They're playing a fast pace to get us tired faster. They think their bench is better than our bench, so they want to get everyone tired as fast as possible so we have to go to the benches faster than usual. We can't get sucked in."

"It's kinda early to call a timeout," TK said, looking up at the clock on the far wall.

"This is important. We need to understand this." Ken looked around at everyone on the team. "I know it's tempting. You watch them swing the ball around and get shots off ten seconds or less into a possession. You think that the only way to compete with them is do the same thing. And it looks like fun. But guys, we have to take things slow. We're gonna use the shot clock as much as we can, and then get baskets in the paint. Everything slow and methodical. Let them run, but don't get sucked into it. If we get a fast break opportunity, so be it, but outside of that, our possessions should take up thirty seconds."

The huddle broke, starters going back on the court and bench players sitting back down.

"Yeah, uh...what he said," Stewart said quietly to the back of the players. "Yes, uh...I approve his...his statement."

.

"What was that about?" Yolei asked, watching the players go back on the court. "And what's a fast break?"

"It's when the offensive team runs down the court after getting possession and has more offensive players running down then there are defensive players back to defend them. You score quickly while you outnumber the defense, like in the first few seconds of a possession. It's kinda abstract." Kari looked up as the referee blew his whistle and threw it to Luke, standing out of bounds, who threw it in to Ken.

"Okay, but all that other stuff Ken said, what was that about?"

"Strategy," Kari answered, watching Ken stand at the top and dribble the ball while surveying the defense. "This team is playing fast, trying to get a good shot as fast as possible. It's a strategy to utilize their advantages."

Ken just stood there for awhile, everyone standing around around the court.

"It's fun to play fast. Fun to shoot a lot. Deep down every player wants to get off fast shots and shoot a lot, so if you're playing a team that plays fast, it's tempting to try to match it and play fast too."

Ken dumped the ball into the right low post to TK, who stood there for a few seconds, then made like he was spinning left before spinning back right, taking one dribble, and passing it to Luke right underneath the basket as Luke's defender came over to block TK's theoretical shot. A wide open Luke only had to jump up and lay it in.

"But that's what they want. Their team is better equipped to play that fast pace, so if they trick teams into playing it with them they'll win. They think they have a better bench too. If they can tire everyone out, they can play their bench against our bench, and that's what they want." Kari watched as Kyoto quickly got up into their offense, dumping it into the low post against TK and quickly whirling around for a fadeaway jumper that banked in. "So it's very important that our offense plays slow. And Ken wanted to make sure everyone understood that."

Ken again took the ball up, simply standing there and dribbling at the top, turning around and using his body to protect the ball whenever the Kyoto point guard tried to steal the ball.

"So we'll see a lot of Ken dribbling around at the top, some slow passing around, and then an offensive set at the end of the shot clock to get off a good shot. A lot of TK down low."

Ken swung the ball over to Marcus, who stood on the left wing with the ball over his head for a few seconds as TK fought for position on the low post. Finally, he lobbed it in and TK caught it. TK dribbled a few times, back to the basket, then spun baseline to the basket. He faked a layup to draw two defenders, then spun back around and hit an easy jumper with no defender to contest.

.

TK couldn't help but shoot a glare over at Ken, sitting a couple seats over on the bench, as Quincy's three from the left corner missed the rim and fell right into the lap of a Kyoto player. They quickly got into their offense, running down the court.

"I think we should tell him to stop spotting up behind the three point line," TK muttered. "It's a wasted possession."

"There's something there. It's just...not there as much as we want it to be," Ken answered. "It's a weapon."

Kyoto quickly charged down for a layup against a scrambling defense, but Luke swooped down the lane to swat the ball out of bounds.

"You let me worry about that stuff. As long as we get open shots, and as long as we use the shot clock up, I don't care about missing every now and then. As long as we play slow, and as long as the score is close at the end, we'll be fine."

Jason picked off the inbounds pass and took off down the court, a step ahead of everyone on defense. He bolted down the lane for a layup attempt, and the Kyoto small forward reached forward and smacked him on the arm as he rose up for the shot. The shot missed, but the foul was called.

"Playing Jason at point guard's a disaster waiting to happen by the way," TK added as Jason went up to take his free throws. "We need to control his game, not let it run free."

"Trial by fire." Ken watched Jason sink the first free throw. "He'll get it, we just need to give him the opportunity to get it."

"Well, how about giving him those opportunities in games that are already over?" TK watched Jason hit the second free throw. "He's not with the program."

"He'll get with the program," Ken assured TK. "We just have to make sure he understands what happens if he doesn't. And sometimes, there are growing pains." Kyoto swung the ball around the perimeter and ended up taking a contested three from the right wing that went in anyway. "Get ready, we're about to go in."

TK glanced up at the scoreboard. HOME - 32 AWAY - 30. Three minutes left in the first half. The whistle sounded for a Rakunan time out, and the substitutions were made. Ken, Davis, Marcus, TK, and Steve in.

"Remember, everything slow," Ken reminded the team as Steve inbounded the ball to him. Ken took the team up, taking his time before passing it in to TK on the left low block. TK dribbled a few times before spinning left and throwing up a hookshot that bounced off the backboard and the front of the rim before falling out. Kyoto grabbed the rebound and quickly pushed the ball down, the Rakunan defense just barely getting back in time to stop the fast break.

But just as quickly, the ball got swung to the center underneath the basket, who rose up and scored over Steve with ease.

"Steve, front him!" Ken called out as he caught the inbounds pass from TK and took it up. Steve nodded.

Again, Ken took it nice and slow, dribbling up and taking his time looking around and setting things up. As the shot clock went down, TK ran up to the top and set a pick on Ken's defender. Ken took off past TK, gaining a step and a half towards the basket as TK's defender didn't step out to stop him. A third defender flew into the lane to step in front of Ken, so Ken hurled it into the right corner to Davis.

The defender at the top read the rotation, however, and had bolted down to the baseline to jump between Ken and Davis. He grabbed the ball, then stumbled out of bounds, so he turned and threw it back in bounds without looking to keep the ball in play. He ended up throwing it right to TK, standing under the basket, who simply caught it and laid it up.

In a matter of seconds, Kyoto had their offense set up on the other end. A couple of baseline screens were set up, causing a confusing series of picks where the shooting guard and small forward both ran through picks created by the power forward and center, while the point guard waited for everything to shake out.

The small forward got open on the right for a shot right in front of the three point line, but it bounced off the back of the rim to TK, who got it over to Ken. Again, Ken slowly took it up, letting the clock drain down as much as he could as the offense slowly moved through their set.

Again, TK came up to set a screen on Ken's defender, Ken utilizing the pick. As the Kyoto point went underneath TK, trying to come out and remain in front of Ken, TK leaned over a step to continue to block the player from getting in front of Ken, and...

The whistle sounded. Offensive foul on TK. TK threw his hands up in the air, but quickly gathered himself as he ran back down the court.

"Sorry, I know I can't do that, my bad," TK said to Ken as they came back up.

"They're whistling everything today," Ken said, getting down into a defensive stance. "Act accordingly."

TK nodded. Kyoto started to run a pick and roll of their own, TK's man running up to set the pick. TK allowed the guard to turn the corner, staying between his man and the basket, knowing that Luke would come over and block the basket, and-

Of course, Luke wasn't in the game. TK realized this a couple seconds late, and Steve was nowhere near the action as Kyoto got an easy layup. TK turned and shot Steve a look before trotting back down the court. The crowd was getting into it now. They had to do something before the half.

Ken took it up, dribbling at the top, watching off-ball screens being set in front of him. In a flash, he took off to his right, driving past the free throw line before throwing it behind him to Marcus. Marcus raised up for an open three, knocking it down.

Down on the other end, Kyoto quickly got an open three that rimmed out, TK grabbing the rebound and pushing the ball to Ken. Just a few seconds left.

As soon as Ken got the ball to the top, TK ran up and set a pick. Ken ran around it, TK seeing his man lunge out just a tad to keep Ken from turning the corner. TK spun to the basket and took off, Ken bouncing the pass to him a few feet in front of the basket. A third defender ran over and raised his hands in front of TK, jumping up, but TK shot it over him and left him smacking his wrists.

He heard the referee whistle, then watched the ball bounce around the rim before falling in. He pumped his fist, then turned around to take his free throw.

"That's the way," Ken called out as TK turned around at the free throw line and caught the ball from the referee. He quickly rose up and took it, knocking it through the net, and letting Kyoto inbound the ball to let the half second left run off before halftime.

.

TK backed his man down in the post, pushing him towards the basket, dribbling with each push. Suddenly, he shook back and forth a few times, then simply turned left and bullied his way underneath the basket, then rose up. The Kyoto center ran over and pushed him back as he shot, signalling another whistle from the referee. The ball hit the bottom of the rim and bounced back to TK, who quickly pushed himself to his feet and ran over to the free throw stripe.

The center turned to exit the game, signalling to his backup to stand up from the bench. TK took in a deep breath, then caught the ball from the referee, bounced it, and shot. Swish.

Two minutes left in the third. Rakunan up by four. TK looked around. He didn't much like playing in the lineup with Derrick, Jason, and Quincy, but at least he got the ball almost every possession.

He rose up and hit the second one as well, then fell back on defense as Kyoto inbounded it. With this lineup out there, it was all on Luke to protect the paint, else Kyoto would score nearly every time. TK already had two fouls and didn't want to pick up a third, so he was forced to be somewhat lax on the defensive end. The Kyoto point guard rocketed past Derrick into the paint, Luke stepping over to keep in front of him. TK read the situation and leaped forward into the lane between the point guard and the center. The point guard passed right to TK, not seeing him jump the pass until it was too late, TK catching it and flipping it over to Derrick after a few seconds.

The offense set up on the other end, Derrick flipping it to Jason on the right wing. To TK's dismay, Jason immediately charged towards the basket early in the shot clock. Someone came over and planted themselves in his path, taking the impact of his charge and earning an offensive foul call on Jason.

TK gave Jason an exasperated look and shook his head as Jason went to the bench, Davis getting up and entering the game.

"Sight for sore eyes," TK grumbled as Davis walked past him.

"We all do dumb stuff. Some dumber than others, but still," Davis replied. "He's learning."

"I know, I know," TK said as Kyoto inbounded.

Kyoto threw the ball around the perimeter and eventually got it into the post against TK. TK stood his ground, waiting for his man to make a move. He spun left, TK shadowing him, forcing him into a fading jump hook. TK got his hand in his face, the shot bouncing off the left rim and over to Luke.

Derrick took the ball up, but got pestered into picking up his dribble, so TK ran out behind the three point line to catch the pass. He turned to look the defense over, his man sagging back, not afraid of TK trying a three pointer. TK looked around, seeing Davis run through a screen set by Luke near the end of the shot clock.

TK whistled it over to him just inside the three point line and he turned to fire it up. TK ran in towards the basket as the shot bounced off the back rim, but Luke was able to get his hand on it and tap it over to TK. TK caught it, dribbled once to power under the rim, then put it in the basket.

Kyoto inbounded and tried a full court shot as the buzzer sounded, missing the backboard entirely. TK walked over to the bench, wiping sweat off his forehead.

"Alright! Alright, we're locked in! Great way to end the quarter, uh...TK, take the first two minutes of the fourth off, and then we gear up for crunch time." Coach Stewart looked over at the crowd to his left, a mostly-quiet bunch for most of the morning so far. "Just...don't give them anything to cheer about." He sat back down.

"Natural born leader, this guy," TK grunted as he sat down on the bench.

"He's getting better," Ken insisted. "You'd hate this game too if you were forced to watch bad basketball for years and years and then take the blame for it."

"So what's up?" TK grabbed a towel from behind the bench and wiped his face off.

"They've got to be getting tired. They'll have to go to the bench for most of the fourth. They have a good bench, but we should be able to dominate them. They're more tired than us. You just chill for a couple minutes, and when you sub in get ready to go hard. I'm gonna get you the ball almost every possession, just handle your business down there and we got this." Ken rubbed his hands together.

TK sat back, sucking in deep breaths, as the team slowly got up for the start of the fourth.

.

Ken brought the ball up, making hand signals to his teammates with one hand as he dribbled with the other. TK fought for position down low, Ken swinging it to Marcus on his side. TK held out his hand as his defender tried to keep an entry pass from coming. Finally, Marcus threw it in front of TK and he ran out to grab it.

He turned to face up, holding the ball low and surveying the situation. Rakunan was up three with four minutes left. This was when it was all supposed to pay off. At the end of close games, slow possessions that produced easy shots were always better than fast possessions that produced hard shots. They just had to stick to the script.

TK charged right, going past his man as he shuffled to stay in front of him. He saw the second defender come over to step in front of him. He wrapped it around to Luke on the right elbow, who dribbled in one step and passed it right back to TK. TK wormed his way along the baseline and flipped the ball up through the basket.

"We've got this!" Ken called out as they fell back on defense. Kyoto was still running, but TK noticed them sagging a little bit. Not as fast or crisp as the first half or even the third quarter. Kyoto immediately started a pick and roll, but Ken and TK managed to converge on the point guard in a trap so he couldn't even see around them to try to make a pass. He spun to the referee and called a timeout.

"Very nice!" Ken called out as the other team retreated to their bench. "They've got no rhythm. They want to run us out of the gym, all we've gotta do is resist the urge to run and we're good!"

They waited around for Kyoto to break their timeout, Ken walking over to TK and putting his mouth next to his ear.

"We're two baskets away from this thing being salted away, and it's running through you. They can't stop you." Ken smacked TK on the back as Kyoto inbounded.

Quickly, Kyoto swung it into the corner for a contested three that rimmed out and rolled to TK. He held the ball for a second, then got it to Ken and jogged up the court.

Ken waited several seconds, then swung it to Davis on the left side. TK took post position on the right, waiting as Davis looked around before getting it back over to Ken. Ken brought it over to the right side, the defense shading over towards TK. They knew the entry pass was coming, and they had to stop it.

Suddenly, Ken hurled it back over to Marcus, who took one dribble towards the basket and caused the defense to lean his way. He threw a bounce pass in to TK, the defender having moved just a step too far away from him in an attempt to prepare for Marcus's drive. TK simply caught it and laid it up before anyone could get close enough.

Fifty-nine to fifty-two. Three minutes left. Kyoto inbounded it and quickly pushed up the court, getting it over to their shooting guard who lofted up a three from the top as soon as he got behind the three point line. Even though Davis contested it, it went in. TK traded looks with Ken. Unfazed, Ken received the inbounds pass from Luke and took it up the court.

TK found his spot on the low post and caught an entry pass from Ken after several seconds. Immediately, he was swarmed by a second defender, their two bigs swirling around him with their hands up. He looked around, trying to find a pass.

The ball got poked from his hands. A third defender has swooped in and swiped at the ball, knocking it free. He took control of the ball with his dribble and charged down the court. TK grunted in frustration and chased the play down the court.

Kyoto frantically swung the ball around, trying to find a good shot. TK glanced up at the clock. Two minutes and change. This game needed to end.

The center caught the ball close to the basket against Luke and tried to muscle it in, but Luke blocked it over to TK. TK got it over to Ken, who guided the offense up.

They waited and waited for the clock to tick down. TK moved around underneath the basket, being denied entry passes by multiple defenders who had learned one man wasn't going to stop TK. Ken dribbled around, then finally cut into the lane, blowing past his man, getting a clear path to the basket.

The Kyoto center was too tired to try to step in and take the charge. All he could manage was slapping Ken's wrists as Ken rose up to shoot it, drawing a whistle as the ball flew out of bounds.

TK looked at the referee, who signalled that the center had just fouled out. He raised his hands in triumph and stepped to the right side of the paint as Ken set up for his free throws.

He made the first and missed the seconod, Kyoto scrapping out the rebound and racing down the court. Down five, minute and a half left. They had to move fast.

The point guard got it up to the top and then whistled a pass under the basket, only to misjudge his aim and watch the pass sail out of bounds. Rakunan ball. TK heard Kari and Yolei cheer loudly. It was about time to close up shop.

Kyoto went into a full-court defense, fighting to keep Luke from inbounding it to Ken, but Ken managed to spin free and get open just long enough for Luke to get him the ball. Fighting their defensive efforts, Ken slowly dribbled up, getting across the half-court line and protecting the ball with his body.

Davis ran up near the three point line as Ken was double teamed, Ken dumping it over to him to escape the trap. Davis spun towards the basket, looking around as two defenders converged on him, trying to steal the ball.

TK came out to the free throw line, standing on the right elbow, catching the bounce pass from Davis. He hugged the ball tightly as his defender came over to hound him. He took one step to the right with a dribble, then rose up like he was going to try a bad hookshot, but then bounce passed it to his left. Ken darted to take the pass, zooming into the paint and getting a teardrop layup over the defense and into the basket as the Kyoto power forward smacked his hands.

Whistle. Foul. Game. Ken held his hands up, then pointed at Yolei in the stands with a smile on his face, as the referee signalled another foul-out. TK shook the sweat out of his hair and stepped to the side of the paint as Ken went up to take the free throw, at this point little more than a formality.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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"Going head-to-head against a gameplan designed to play into Kyoto's strengths by keeping a fast pace and forcing the benches to play more minutes, Rakunan countered by playing slow and leaning heavily on TK scoring in the post. Not many players could pull it off, but TK did. We have to give a lot of credit to Ken for masterminding the gameplan that allowed Rakunan to ultimately come out on top, but it was certainly TK who made such a gameplan possible." Kari scrolled down on the laptop, reading through the article that Ken had pulled up.

"So they're gonna write an article about every game now?" TK asked, laying back on Kari's bed, peeking over Kari sitting at her desk. "Great, now the whole world gets to read about everything I do. What'll they write when I have a bad game?"

"Stop whining," Kari said quickly. "Twenty-eight points and thirteen rebounds to go with four assists, TK continues to be a surprisingly dominant force, with skills that certainly translate to higher levels of competitive basketball. Most impressive about his game was his ability to draw fouls against defenders in the post, in effect neutralizing a part of the attempted gameplan to get him off the court. He ended up drawing so many fouls, both the Kyoto center and power forward fouled out by the end of the game. We at Max Preps continue to be impressed by TK's prowess at the power forward position, and will continue to write about him as his high school career unfolds." She sat back in her desk chair. "Well, that all sounds good."

"I liked the part where they mentioned me," Davis said bitterly. "Oh, wait..."

"Oh Davis. Always the third wheel," Ken said, grinning.

"Hey! Maybe you guys run things on the basketball court or whatever, but when we were in the Digital World, risking our lives and trying to save the world from destruction, let's not forget who played leader!" Davis insisted.

"Only because we let you," TK said. "Because we knew you'd never shut up unless we let you take the wheel." He looked over at Davis. "And let me tell you something about that stuff we did three years ago. Yeah, it was tough, but it was a cakewalk compared to the first time we went there. While you were still learning how to spell your name, I was getting sucked into the Digital World and getting slammed with the task of saving it from the forces of evil. Imagine just getting thrown into a strange world against your will, not knowing if you'd ever get back home. Imagine being stuck in there for months, having to forage for food in the wilderness, just hoping you can find a bit of shelter to sleep in at night, all while fighting monsters at every twist and turn. Imagine not knowing a thing about where you are or what you're doing, just fighting to survive another day. That's-"

"You are such a baby!" Kari interrupted. "Enough with the grizzled old war veteran act. It wasn't that bad."

"You weren't there for the worst of it!" TK said through gritted teeth. "None of you guys have any idea-"

Kari pounced on top of TK, laying down prone on his chest.

"No, we don't. Please tell us more about how you took craps in the forest and wiped with leaves. I so very much want to hear all about that," Kari said sarcastically.

.

TK laid back on the gray workout bench, hands on the black bar parallel with his shoulders, slowly pushing it up above him and bringing it back down to just above his chest. Kari watched him carefully, observing the metal rings on both ends of the bar rise and fall as TK lifted them.

"Nice and slow, nice and slow," she repeated quietly. "Keep it coming."

"There you are." Ken strolled up to the machine, looking down at TK. "Come on man, the game starts in half an hour, don't tire yourself out now."

"I'm fine," TK grunted, sliding the bar onto a set of grooves above him and sitting up. "Today is your problem."

"Come on, we're going for eight straight wins to start the season, today is everyone's problem." Ken put his arms out at his sides.

The team had remained on fire the last three weeks, reeling off wins in impressive fashion against quality opponents. The scoring ran through TK, and he dutifully put up around twenty five points every game to go with twelve rebounds or so. Ken ran the offense, putting up nine points and twelve assists like clockwork. Davis threw in sixteen or seventeen points and continued to build on his three point shooting.

Everyone else was falling in line. Luke was a pitbull on defense, grabbing twelve rebounds and smashing three and a half blocks a game. Marcus was turning into the perfect role-player, a mediocre talent who knew exactly how good he was and always tried hard and kept quiet. He'd always chip in five or six points, two or three rebounds, two or three assists, grab a steal, play good defense, and keep the ball moving within the offense. Derrick always had a couple of threes to contribute in limited playing time, even if his height made him a poor defender. Quincy could always be counted on to hit threes at the end of blowouts, although more meaningful contributions eluded him. Even Jason was starting to get with the picture, using his destructive first step to get to the rim, then either pass it to the open man or score depending on the situation.

"Yeah, but the spotlight is on you." TK stood up. "I've been carrying the load the last three weeks, but if we're gonna make it eight in a row...hope you brought your man pants."

"Yeah yeah, I got it." He pointed behind him with his thumb. "Let's go musclehead."

.

John Howard. Senior Point Guard of Mita High. Another guy who would probably find himself in America playing for UCLA or Duke. A phenom. The kind of guy who you didn't see come around very often. TK almost felt bad for Ken.

John dribbled the ball around the top, Ken a few steps back of him, down low in a defensive stance. If Ken wasn't so smart, it wouldn't have been fair at all. John was about five foot nine inches, six or seven inches taller than Ken, and probably weighed thirty pounds more. He was absolutely ripped, muscling bulging from everywhere.

He suddenly took off to his left, going from zero to full-speed in the blink of an eye. Ken shuffled to keep up but John easily got past him on the way to the basket. Oh, he was fast. Fast and quick. His first step was a lightning bolt. Luke came over to block the basket, and John jumped up and wrapped the ball behind his back to the man Luke just left. TK attempted to rotate over from the other side of the paint to defend him, but he was just a hair slow, and the ball swished through the basket.

He might have been big, strong, fast, and quick, but that Ken could have dealt with. They could have taken him out of his game with double teams and good rim protection from Luke. But perhaps the most important thing about John, and the thing that made Ken outmatched, was that he got it. He knew how to play point guard. He knew how to draw defenders and hit the man who sprung open, generating easy baskets from wide open players. It was like someone took Ken's mind and injected it into the perfect body. He always made the right play. It was very rare for a high school player to master how to play point guard, but he was one of those rare cases.

Nineteen to nine Mita, three minutes left in the first quarter. Coach Stewart whistled for a timeout and the team scurried off to the bench. The crowd was not thrilled with how things had been going, murmuring amongst themselves and wondering if Rakunan had met their match.

"Do you happen to have a taser in the back pocket of your man pants?" TK asked sarcastically, sitting down on the bench. Ken sat down next to him, eyes darting around the court. "I think you might need it to stop this guy."

Ken swallowed hard. Not only was he a destructive force offensively, John could also make things very hard with his defense. Using his combination of size and speed, he could make it nearly impossible for Ken to run the offense by hounding him at the top. It was often all Ken could do to get a pass off, and as soon as he did John would start roaming. He must have read the scouting report and knew Ken wasn't a great threat to score, because he largely ignored playing tight defense on Ken in favor of jumping passing lanes, swiping at the ball, and double-teaming.

Ken took a deep breath in, closing his eyes. "He's acting like a free safety on defense. He doesn't think I can score, so he's just roaming."

"Is he right?" Davis asked, sitting down on the other side of Ken.

"Yes and no," Ken said quietly.

"What does that mean?" Davis frowned.

"It means I have to score. Make him guard me. If I don't make him play defense, he'll never get tired. He'll play the whole game and roast us on offense." Ken rocked back and forth. "I'm thinking, I'm thinking..."

"Get the ball out of your hands and cut to the basket. We'll find you." Davis sat back. "He's guarding you until you pass it, then he forgets about you. Just get to the basket, we'll get you the ball."

"Right, right." Ken stood up. "We'll do it until he catches on and starts defending me. That'll open things up a little bit. And on defense...well, just force him to pass it and we'll hope for the best."

The whistle blew, and TK inbounded the ball to Ken.

.

"He looks concerned." Yolei watched Ken dribble the ball up, John ready to pick him up as soon as he crossed the half-court line. "I know when he's concerned, I...I can see these things."

"He's no match for this guy," Kari said, watching Ken fight just to get behind the three point line. "Look at how big he is. And fast too. It's all he can do just to keep possession." Ken got it over to Davis on the right wing, who turned to the basket and waited a minute before getting it in to TK.

"What's he gonna do?" Yolei asked. John shaded over to the right wing, anticipating TK to possibly kick it back out to Davis and getting ready to jump the pass. Luke backed out of the paint, leaving it vacated. Ken darted towards the basket, getting the pass from TK a step inside the free throw line. John realized what was going on too late, and was completely out of the play. Ken rose up to lay it in just as the opposing power forward reached over to try to block it, but was only able to bump Ken to the ground. The ball rolled in and the whistle sounded for a foul. Ken quickly jumped up and walked to the free throw line.

"Be creative," Kari answered as Ken caught the ball at the line and lined up his shot. He ended up missing the shot off the back of the rim, but Luke was able to snare the rebound. Ken immediately ran down the lane, catching the pass from Luke and immediately rising up to lay it in. "Very creative."

"Think he can do it?" Yolei watched John bring it up. His strides covered so much ground.

"I don't know. This guy is a monster."

Right around half-court, John suddenly took off towards the basket, Ken frantically shuffling to keep in front of him. He managed to guide him to the right a little bit, and Marcus moved to the baseline to keep him from getting to the basket. John whistled the ball into the corner, where Marcus had just been, where his teammate swished the wide-open fifteen footer.

"Yolei, word of advice. After the game, show Ken a good time. Go home with him, make him some good food, spend time with him, something. He's gonna need it." Kari shifted around in her seat.

"Will do."

Ken fought to get the ball to the top and got it over to Marcus on the left wing. Ken waited for John to sag off on defense, watching Marcus dribble towards the corner. He darted towards the basket again, catching the bounce pass from Marcus and rising up for the layup before anyone could get over to him. One of the Mita players said something to John.

"And if he actually manages to pull this off? Show him a _great_ time."

.

"We got him," TK said to Ken, watching John as they retreated down the court on defense. "We got him."

"Not quite yet," Ken answered. "I apologize in advance in the case that I'm about to make myself look like an idiot."

John took the ball up, looking around the defense. TK's man went up to set a pick on Ken, TK followed the action.

John took off around his teammate, and TK decided to fully commit to him. He stepped out and kept him from dribbling towards the corner as Ken crowded up to keep him from going back.

Out of the corner of his eye, TK saw Marcus dart into the passing lane just as John squeezed the ball between Ken and TK to the open man. Marcus snatched the ball out of the air and immediately threw it like a baseball towards the other basket.

Davis had ran ahead as soon as he saw the steal, neatly catching the ball on a bounce and going into a dribble right into the paint. Nobody else was around, and Davis got a rare layup. The crowd cheered. They were getting back into the game.

John brought the ball up, face a grimace of frustration. Ken hung back, ready to jump at a moment's notice, as John went up to the three point line.

He took a few dribbles in, a step behind the free throw line, then simply pulled up and shot a jumper. Nobody was really defending him and it banked off the backboard and into the basket.

Ken grabbed the inbounds pass from Luke and trotted down the court, glancing up to the scoreboard. As soon as he crossed halfcourt, John came up and started playing tight defense. Ken forced his way up to behind the three point line, looking around like he was trying to just shuffle the ball off to someone on the wing.

And then he spun around and darted the other way, going around the surprised John, making a beeline for the basket. John spun around and took off after him, but Ken was already a couple steps ahead.

The center came over to try to block Ken from the basket, but Ken neatly sidestepped him and got to the rim, throwing it up and through the basket. The crowd went bonkers. They'd never seen Ken do that before.

"You're crazy man," TK muttered to Ken as they fell back on defense.

"You don't know the half of it." Ken dropped down into a defensive stance.

Mita brought the ball up, and John drove to the paint and kicked it into the corner for a three, but the shot bounced off the front of the rim to Luke. Ken brought it up, noting with satisfaction that John was now playing a couple steps back of him on defense so he had a better chance to stop a drive. Ken dribbled up to the three point line, then drove to his right.

John fell back to stay in front of him, and right next to the right elbow Ken stopped and rose up for a jumper. John nearly fell down trying to get up to contest the shot, not getting anywhere close as Ken knocked the shot in. TK looked at Ken in mild shock.

John quickly dribbled up and tried a 40 foot shot at the buzzer that bounced off the backboard and fell harmlessly to the ground. TK and Davis both ran up to Ken as he walked to the bench.

"So which demon possessed you before the game?" Davis asked.

"This guy knows how I play. The only way to beat him is to play how I don't play." Ken sat down on the bench heavily. "Gotta keep him guessing, make him confused."

"Yeah, but...that's not really your shot. I mean there's a reason why you don't play like that." TK looked around the gym. "You know what they say about a broken clock."

"It's the only way." Ken reached underneath his chair for a bottle of water. "Now he doesn't know how to guard me. I got him on a string. I can frustrate him now, get him upset, affect his offense. Maybe tire him out. It's the only way we can slow him down. Like you said, man pants."

"Alright. But if you airball a sixteen-footer I'm gonna 'accidentally' elbow you in the face next time you call for a pick." TK shrugged.

.

Sweat pouring down his arms and legs, Ken brought the ball up, raising his left hand in the air to signal a play.

"He looks like he could collapse," Yolei muttered quietly. The scoreboard read HOME - 60 AWAY - 64. Three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

"He won't." Kari rubbed her hands together in front of her. "We've got three timeouts left, he can pace himself a little bit."

"I dunno...he doesn't look good." Ken danced around a bit at the top as Davis ran through three picks. He got free of the defense on the left side and Ken whipped the ball over to him. Davis spun and shot before anyone got close to him, draining it. Mita by two.

"He knows what he's doing. Look, John's tired too."

Ken had spent the entire game doing the things he never did. He shot jumpers, he took on multiple defenders to score, he passed up open teammates...and just when John was getting ready to key in on that, he'd drive and dump to TK for a layup or Davis for a jumpshot. It was an hour-and-a-half long mixup, Ken going back and forth between the guy he was and the guy he wasn't.

"Does he? He's missed a lot of shots today..." Yolei scratched the top of her head.

"He made enough. Enough to make John realize he had to defend him. And that's what matters." John drove into the lane, but Ken was able to keep in front of him and guide him into a double team next to the basket. He tried to rise up for a short shot, but Luke smacked it back for the block and Ken grabbed it. "John has spent this whole game trying to figure out how to guard him, and it's finally tired him out. Frustrated him. I can see it, he can't believe he's getting outplayed and outsmarted by a freshman."

Ken dribbled the ball up. John stood a couple steps behind the three point line, waiting to take up defense on Ken. Ken took it up slowly, surveying the offense, making a hand signal-

And then, he stopped right behind the three point line and rose up for a three. John didn't even get a hand up, he was bracing for the drive. TK's shoulders sagged as he watched the ball sail through the air, but his eyes popped open as he watched it sail through the net.

"Well I'll be," Kari said quietly as the fans in the bleachers stood up and cheered loudly.

.

"Are you insane?" TK asked Ken on the way back up the court.

"Certifiable." Ken dropped down into a defensive stance. A little more than two minutes left. John brought it up, looking really upset now. He was pounding the ball into the ground hard.

TK rolled his eyes and fell back next to the paint as Mita set their offense up. John drove to his left. Ken managed to keep him from driving straight to the basket, forcing him to go to the baseline on the left side.

Suddenly, John whipped the ball behind his back right underneath the basket. The center caught it, faked a shot once to get Luke in the air, then went up and hit a layup while Luke was fouling him. The crowd groaned. Three point play.

Mita called a timeout and everyone retreated to their benches.

"Alright, what do we got?" TK looked up at Stewart.

"Uh...next possession, let's go into the low post to TK. They won't expect that, we haven't done it very much today." Stewart looked up at the clock. Two minutes left on the dot. "And then...Ken, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ken gasped, wiping sweat out of his face. "Don't worry about me."

"Next time we get the ball they'll probably deny TK the ball...Ken, can you create?"

"Of course," Ken walked around back and forth a little bit. "I'll drive and decide."

"Good. Alright. TK, we need a basket on this possession." Stewart clapped his hands.

"See, told you," Ken muttered as Stewart walked to the end of the bench. "He's coaching now. Knew he'd come around."

Stewart signaled for Quincy to enter the game.

"You sure that's a good thing?" TK asked as Quincy stood up from the bench.

"Hey, it's the right move." Ken slowly walked back onto the court. "And he's gotta hit a meaningful shot at some point. Why not today?"

TK grimaced, but ran onto the court after Ken. After a few seconds, the whistle blew and Mita took their free throw. The center knocked it down, and Luke inbounded to Ken.

Ken took the ball up, taking his time at the top, dribbling around and watching John shadow him. He was tiring. He could tell. Everything was building perfectly for the game to end just the way Ken needed it.

Finally, he dumped it down low to TK, who caught it about five feet from the basket. He faked left, but his defender didn't bite, so he swung right and raised the ball up. The defender jumped, and TK went back down and slid left, past his man, laying it up through the basket.

Sixty-seven to sixty-seven. Knotted up. The crowd went wild as Rakunan fell back on defense.

John took the ball up, dribbling around for a second before trying to drive to the right, past Ken, but Ken kept right with him and forced him to pick his dribble up on the elbow. He looked around, Ken getting right up next to him and waving his arms around.

John got it into the low post to his center, Luke quickly locking down on defense. The center faked twice, but Luke stayed down, waving his arms around. Finally, he rose up for a short jumper, but Luke got his hand up and managed to deflect it back with his fingertips. Quincy ran in to grab it, and Stewart immediately called a timeout.

"Alright, alright! One minute left! Ken, take it down to about forty-five seconds before we get a shot, so we can have another possession in the end if we miss. Any shot as long as it's good." Stewart called out. "Just wanted to give you another minute to take a breath, Ken."

Ken nodded. "If we miss, and they miss, don't call timeout. Just get me the ball and I'll try to get something against a hurried defense."

"Alright. Davis, Quincy, I'm sure they're gonna be doubling TK and denying him the ball, so get ready to catch and shoot." Stewart went back to the end of the bench. "Just get us a good shot."

A few seconds later, the whistle blew, and everyone made their way back onto the court. Luke inbounded to Ken and he took it up, quickly setting the offense up. As Davis and Quincy ran off screens, Ken went right and darted to the basket, hounded by John. John was energized, knowing this was the biggest possession of the game, finding a gear he hadn't had for the last several minutes due to exhaustion. Ken felt multiple defenders close in, then spun and threw it across the court, to the left wing, bouncing it through a thicket of legs, where Quincy was standing all by himself, the defender having gone to chase Ken after assuming he was out of the play.

Quincy caught and rose for a shot, nobody within five feet of him. TK almost shouted "NO!" but somehow managed to resist. But he couldn't help but grimace as the ball missed the rim entirely and sailed out of bounds.

Quincy just stood there for a second, staring dimly at the rim, then turned around and slowly walked back down the court. The whistle sounded. Mita timeout.

Ken quickly walked up to TK and held his hand out in a 'stop' position.

"Don't go to him. Don't even look at him. C'mon now," Ken said quickly.

"He almost killed someone in the stands," TK grunted, trying to push past Ken. "I just wanna-"

"TK, no!" Ken insisted. "Now is not the time! Later! We all miss shots, calm down."

TK sighed. "Fine. But we're having an intervention with him this week. This doesn't make any sense, and I wanna figure it out." TK turned around and waited.

A minute later, Mita inbounded it and John took it up. Ken bent over and shuffled around, staying in front of him. They took their time. Everyone in the gym had bated breath. Inspite of Ken's heroics so far, John had still amassed twenty-three points and thirteen assists, and seemed able to either score or create an easy basket whenever he wanted.

After what seemed like an eternity, he dumped the ball onto the left low post, to TK's man. He started to dribble, pushing back against TK, TK pushing right back. TK's mind raced with possibilities. He could go left, right, turn and shoot, fake one way, fake the other way, pass...this was the game. TK had to guess right. He had to. Suddenly, the dribbling stopped. He started to spin left, and-

Ken swooped out of nowhere, neatly poking the ball out from the power forward's grip and popping it into the hair. Ken started to dribble it, turning around and taking off down the court as everyone sprinted to assemble on the other side. TK breathed a sigh of relief, then took off himself.

Ken danced around at the top, dribbling, letting the clock drain down as the entire gym watched him. He drove to his right, getting inside the free throw line with about five seconds left, then stopping on a dime to dribble back out to behind it, then darting back in, then stopping and rising up for a shot with two hands in his face, then throwing it to his right along the baseline, where Davis had been left open by a few feet.

Davis caught and shot in what was almost a single fluid motion, nobody getting out to defend him in time. The buzzer sounded with the ball in the air, and then it hit bottom. Right through the net. Swish.

The crowd all stood, cheering wildly as Davis pumped his fist and spun around, then ran out to half-court. The team emptied the bench and ran out to greet him, high-fiving him and running around like young children who had just gotten into the sugar.

TK immediately had gone over to Ken, who was slumped over, hands on his knees, right where he had jumped to deliver the pass. He put his arms around his upper chest and helped walk him over to the congregration of players. Ken smiled weakly, then started to high-five his teammates.

.

"Dude, I don't care right now." Ken laid back on his bed, eyes closed, hands clasped over his stomach like he was a corpse in a coffin. "Like, I could not possibly care less than I do right now. I just outplayed a senior superstar point guard who has half a foot on me and is about to go play for Duke. I. Don't. Care."

"Well, when you start caring again, remember we need to figure this Quincy thing out. It's driving me insane, and we're gonna start losing because of him. Almost happened today." TK was sitting on the floor, leaning against the foot of the bed, legs crossed in front of him. "I wanna talk to him and figure it out."

"I'll talk to him," Ken insisted. "You'll probably make him cry or something. I'll handle it."

Davis cleared his throat. "Hey guys, wasn't it awesome when that guy...damn, I forget his name...that guy, hit the game winning shot as the buzzer sounded? Man, that guy was great."

"Yes he was," TK admitted. "Maybe that guy, whatever his name was, will finally get a girlfriend."

"Maybe I don't wanna commit to one girl, okay?" Davis exclaimed. "Maybe I wanna...feel free to sample the whole buffet first. Ever think about that?"

"Yeah Davis. I'm sure that's what it is," Ken deadpanned.

"I'm sure it'll be here any minute now..." Kari mumbled to herself, sitting in the corner with a laptop in her lap.

"Kari, the article isn't going to disappear after two minutes. It's fine." TK grinned.

"I wanna be the first to read it." Kari shrugged.

The door to Ken's bedroom opened and Yolei walked in, carrying a tray with assorted food and drink items on it.

"Yeah, that's right...I'm taking care of my boyfriend. I'm a good, supportive girlfriend," Yolei said quietly to herself as she went over to the bed.

"Who are you talking to?" TK asked, looking up at Yolei oddly.

"Oh, uh...I dunno, just...people." She shrugged.

"It's here!" Kari called out. "It just got posted!"

Ken sighed. "You want me to lay here and listen to a sports writer talk about how great I am? Well, if you insist."

"The lasting image of the game in Rakunan today, a 69-67 victory for Rakunan over Mita, will be Davis sinking a baseline fifteen foot jumper at the buzzer to secure the victory. But the lasting impression for the scouts here at Max Preps will be the play of Ken, Rakunan's point guard. We've written about him before, talking about his skillset and good mind for the game, but today we saw something different. Something that went beyond him putting up a triple-double against a terrible team more than a month ago."

"Wait wait, stop right there." Yolei sat on the bed next to Ken. "I've been wanting to ask, what's a triple double?"

"Oh, well, remember the five statistics I told you about?" Kari asked.

"Yeah. Points, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals."

"A triple double is when you have ten or more in three of those categories in one game," Kari explained. "Anyway. Today, he went up against Max Prep darling John Howard, someone you'll definitely see in college next year. He's big, he's fast, he's smart, he's everything a point guard can be. Ken is at least half a foot shorter, several dozen pounds lighter, and yet somehow still probably slower. It took a masterful performance from Ken to even compete with John, and yet he managed to outplay him. I can't figure it out."

"Good. Maybe you'll be the center of attention for once Ken. I can lay low this week." TK leaned back against the bed and closed his eyes.

"The chess match that happened today on the court was complicated to follow, and it's possible some of this is more coincidence than tactical planning on the part of Ken. But I'm more than happy to just assume that he had it mapped out this way in his mind. Mita doesn't really have anyone who can guard TK, and Ken could have easily decided to run the entire offense through his low-post game. TK would have scored thirty points on sixty-to-seventy percent shooting, but Mita would have won by fifteen. It wasn't enough to do the smart thing. Rakunan had to do the subtle-smart thing."

"So which one was it Ken?" TK looked up at Ken. "Coincidence or tactical planning?"

"Shut up. You know." Ken's eyes flashed open. "Keep reading, it's about to get good."

"We know the knocks against Ken. He's not much of a scorer and his jumpshot is sub-par. He can score on occasion on drives to the basket, but you can only count on him for one or two a quarter. He's an average free-throw shooter to top it off, making him dubious in crunch-time. Mita had assembled a gameplan to take advantage of this, and had it gone as expected I don't doubt John Howard would be getting this article right now. We'd be talking about John's forty-five points and sixteen assists and nine steals, or whatever unearthly numbers he'd get to put up against a team that allowed him to to relax on defense. However, on this day, Ken realized he had to score. He had to score to make John work on defense. He had to score to force Mita to throw out their gameplan. And most of all, he had to score to frustrate John Howard."

"That's my Ken," Yolei said as Ken finally scooted himself upwards so he could eat.

"So he did. John started the game off by roaming around on defense, running around in passing lanes, double-teaming, and generally making offense impossible for Rakunan. It was both a nightmare for Rakunan's offense and a way for John to conserve his energy for the offensive end. So Ken started cutting to the basket and getting cheap layups. John eventually stopped roaming, and Ken used mind games to get around him and drive to the basket. Shockingly, Ken took on double teams and shot over defenders at the basket, something he practically never does. Perhaps he was just feeling selfish today, but what he did ended up ruining all of the best laid plays of Mita and completely flipping the game."

"Yeah, man. What's up, ballhog? Freaking selfish, Ken," TK said sarcastically, reaching up and slapping Ken's foot. "Jerkoff."

"Now, by no means am I saying that Ken is suddenly developing a jumpshot. In fact, I want to stress that, by everything I've seen, he's shaky from outside ten feet and nearly useless from outside fifteen feet. I don't know what it is or if it's something that can be fixed, but it's simply not his game. I can also say that he compensates by simply not shooting jumpshots, which is the smart move, even though it limits his game. But today, when he had John suddenly worried about playing defense on him, he started taking jumpers. And he made some of them. He made enough to get John to start playing defense like he was worried about Ken making more. Which is all Ken needed."

"Yolei, I can tell you right now, you need to memorize this article and recite it as frequently as possible." Ken looked at her. "You might want to start thinking about it now."

"Eat me," Yolei retorted.

"Ken played the rest of the game in a completely unpredictable fashion. One possession, he was a selfish ballhog who drove to the basket and shot over three defenders. The next, he ran a pick and roll, then surprised everyone by kicking it into the corner for a wide-open three. Next, he was a brain-dead chucker who dribbled into an eighteen-foot jumper with a hand in his face. Frankly, I don't think it mattered that he had a few shots smashed right back into his face, or that a couple of his jumpers barely hit the rim. What he did, although occasionally inefficient, confused John something awful. And the fact that Ken did occasionally score on a shot that he shouldn't be taking frustrated him even more. John played a great game, but we've certainly seen better, and we expect better against a much smaller defender. Having watched the game, I'm certain that John's frustration on defense negatively effected his offense. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. In any case, Ken certainly outplayed him, putting up twenty-seven points and nine assists with only two turnovers. Perhaps the best part of his game, however, was at the end when he reverted back into the Ken we've been watching over the first seven games of the season. Score tied, five seconds left, and Ken having played the hero the whole game, I expected him to take the shot. I expected a fourteen-foot jumper with three hands in his face that had a twelve percent chance of going in. He'd been shooting all day, and he probably wanted to be the conquering hero. But no. At the end, he showed us he remembered who he was, made the right play, and was rewarded with a victory." Kari clapped her hands together. "Well isn't that just glowing?"

"Alright." TK stood up. "Ken, prepare yourself for a week of questions about playing at North Carolina and Florida, oh trust me it's gonna be hell, that's the best advice I got for you. We should clear out, give the love birds some alone time."

"And I gotta whip your butt for sucking today," Kari said, standing up as well. "Fifteen points, what kind of game is that?"

"Whatever." TK shook his head.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

.

"Hi," Ken started, sitting on the left edge of the empty bleacher seats, hands at his sides, looking at Quincy. The team was having an unorganized shootaround during practice, grabbing bouncing balls and shooting them from random points on the court, while Stewart sat on the bench and wrote some things down on a clipboard.

"Hey," Quincy said, leaning back on the right end of the bench.

"So, uh, great way to start the season, huh?" Ken said conversationally, looking at TK seated a few seats to his left out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah." Quincy looked around the corner.

"So, I've been thinking...I wasn't gonna say anything but I'm honestly confused...you know how you...you know, in practice, you make everything?" Ken looked around awkwardly.

"Yeah," Quincy said.

"And it's...I don't know, I can't help but notice that you're money in the bank at the end of blowouts and stuff, but...I don't know, for some reason, it seems like you're...off in games where the score is close. You know what I'm talking about?" Ken gave an awkward smile.

"Yeah. I noticed it."

Ken finally noticed that Quincy spoke with a thick eastern accent.

"I suppose it's time I come clean," Quincy said, clearing his throat. "This is first time I play competitive basketball in my life."

"Oh! Well, what do you mean?" Ken glanced behind him at TK, then turned back to Quincy.

"All my life, I play in gym. Shootaround. Since I was little boy, I play by myself in gym. Learned to shoot, very good. Nobody keep score, I just shoot. No one care if I miss. No one even see if I miss. At the end of blowout, game is over, no one care if I miss, just like practice."

Ken tried to ignore the fact that Quincy talked like one of the villains from Die Hard, as difficult as that may have been.

"But if early in game, or game is close, then pressure on me to make it. I get funny feeling in stomach, arms feel weak, shot is off." He shrugged. "I make all my shots in practice, I know people expect me to make all my shots in the game. When I miss, people remember. It affects the game. So I nervous. But I shoot because it all I good at. No point in me even playing if I don't shoot. So I shoot, and I miss. Sorry."

"I see." Ken nodded. "That's...that's very understandable."

"You want me quit team?" Quincy sat back against his seat, seeming rather unaffected by the implications of what he just said. "I can do that."

"No! No, that's exactly what I don't want, in fact. I want you here. You are perfect for this team, and I want you here. But...well, high school basketball, _really_ not that big a deal, Quincy. I mean, it's a game we play for fun, keeps us in shape...you miss some shots, we're not gonna hate you. Nobody's gonna hate you. I mean, it's just a game."

Quincy sneered. "School is in big uproar over success of team. I see it. Eight wins to start season. We lose, I miss shots, I am scapegoat, everyone in school hate me. I think about this when I shoot, make me nervous. Self-fulfilling proposal."

"Prophecy." Ken bit his lower lip. "Self-fulfilling prophecy."

Quincy shrugged. "I don't know what I can do. So I just play and shoot, hope one day funny feeling in stomach is gone."

"Okay." Ken smacked Quincy on the shoulder. "We'll talk more about this later. You'll come around. Keep playing and keep shooting, it'll come together soon." He turned and scooted down the bleachers towards TK, who's brow was furrowed in confusion.

"What the hell was he saying?" TK hissed, keeping his voice low.

"He wants to kill John McClane," Ken answered casually, looking out at the gym.

"Ken, don't make me whoop you," TK warned, glaring at his friend.

"He's nervous. In situations where whether or not he makes a shot is actually impactful on the game, he gets nervous. Pretty simple answer really. It's not that interesting."

TK grimaced. "Okay, so what do we _do_?"

"I'm not a psychologist. How should I know? He overthinks his shots, thinks too hard about how the whole school will hate him if he misses, and boom, he misses." Ken closed his eyes in thought. "This isn't really something I can do very much about."

"Well we need to figure it out before he costs us a game. Ken, you know I can be violent when angry!" TK scowled.

"See, really, it's your fault more than his. People like you in this school, it's your fault. You guys take this stuff too seriously, it creates the pressure that makes him miss." Ken rolled his eyes.

"Okay, what the heck do you guys want from me? One second you're telling me that...my high school basketball play might get me into an American college, and that I need to be bringing it in every game because scouts are watching, and now you're telling me to stop taking it so seriously?" TK stood up. "You guys don't know what you want."

.

TK stood in the post for a few seconds, eyes peering over his left shoulder, getting ready to make his move. Just as he started to spin to his right, he felt the ball leaving his hands. He turned just in time to see someone poking the ball from his grip and snatching it, turning to run down the court.

TK watched the ball go up the court in sort of a stupor for a moment before shaking himself out of it and running down the court. Showa High - 54, Rakunan High - 49. A shaky game so far at best. The Showa point guard dribbled around at the top as TK ran past him into the paint to play defense.

Showa took their time, then dumped it into the low post to the power forward. TK pressed up against him, holding his hand in the air, waiting for him to make his move.

He twisted left, and TK bit hard, shuffling that direction. There wasn't anything he could do when he pulled back and spun right, getting an easy lane to the basket and laying it in with no defense around.

TK again stood there, replaying the event in his mind and trying to shake it off, as Luke inbounded to Ken as the buzzer sounded for the end of the third quarter.

"You alright man?" Ken asked, running over as the court cleared. "You've been off all day."

"Yeah, yeah it's fine." TK looked around at the stands of the away crowd. "God, heck of a drive to get here, wasn't it? Must have been...seventy miles?"

"You've been talking about the drive all morning. Yeah, we were on the bus too, we know." Ken walked past TK on his way to the bench. "Get it together man."

TK gave his head a vicious shake, then turned around to walk back to the bench, listening to the crowd cheer their team on loudly.

"Alright guys, rough first three quarters, but we're still right in this thing," Stewart said, still speaking in that a low monotone that failed to inspire any real confidence. "Fourth quarter, let's just put in a lot of effort on defense. Offensively, they're doubling TK every time he catches the ball, let's run the offense through him and see if we can get open shots through that. TK, be ready to find the open man when the double comes."

TK nodded.

"Ken, Marcus, if he gets the ball in the post cut through the lane and see if you get open. Luke, we need some monster rebounds in this last quarter, we have to get every possession we can." Stewart turned to look out at the court. "Everyone take a few minutes."

"See, he's coaching now." Ken grinned. "Knew he'd wake up after watching some good games."

"I don't get it," TK said. "Something's just not right today."

Ken shrugged. "It's basketball, not a computer program. Everyone has off days. Don't worry about it, just go out there and play. It happens."

"Thank you Ken. That means a lot to me," TK said dryly. "I dunno, it's like the...difficulty just got turned up."

"Well, bring it in this last quarter. The next couple games are against bums, finally." Ken stood up and walked back and forth. "We pull this out, we're looking at twelve and zero, easy."

TK took in a deep breath. "But no pressure, right?"

.

TK spun around to face the basket, then dribbled to his left. His man shadowed him there, so he spun around and slid towards the basket, cutting right into the vacated zone. He quickly rose up and laid it in before a second defender could get over to him.

"There we go!" Ken called out as he ran back on defense. Showa was up by two with two minutes left. It had been a slow and frustrating quarter, but point by point Rakunan had clawed their way back into the game.

Showa took the ball up, the crowd holding silent so they could run their offense unpeturbed. The point guard dribbled around at the top, as the wings ran through the paint through screens set by the bigs. He drove left, Ken hounding him towards the baseline, then dished it over to his shooting guard, who had gotten open a couple steps on the screen. He spun and shot the fourteen foot jumper, draining it through the rim. Showa by four, minute forty left.

Ken quickly pushed the ball up as the crowd started to get louder, feeling things were about to come to a head. Davis immediately plowed through screens set by TK and Luke, coming out in the right corner as Ken drove into the lane. He kicked out to Davis just as he settled in the corner, and fired up a three.

It clanked off the back of the rim, but TK rose up and grabbed the rebound, then immediately spun around to threw it back to Davis. Given a second opportunity, Davis rose up and nailed it this time, swishing it through the net. One point game. Timeout Showa.

"Alright, we've got this thing right where we want it!" Stewart called out. "One more stop, and we get it to TK in the low post and go for the lead. TK, whatever the defense gives you, you take it. Everyone, take a few minutes and get ready. Another minute forty of hard play and we'll walk out of here victors."

"You hear that?" Ken grinned. "You're almost off the hook."

"Yeah yeah." TK looked around.

"Hey man. We pull this off, like I said, we've got an all-you-can-eat buffet the next three weeks to cruise to twelve and nothing. Play hard for the next two minutes, because you won't have to for the next three weeks." Ken stood up and jumped around.

A minute later, the whistle sounded, and everyone slowly got into position. Showa inbounded the ball and brought it up, taking their time and letting the seconds tick off the clock. The ball was swung to the left wing and the small forward tried to get it into the low post, but Luke managed to deny the center the ball, and he ended up quickly dishing it over to the shooting guard who tried a contested three. The ball bounced off to Luke, who grabbed it and got it to Ken.

Just a shade more than a minute left. Ken brought it up, waiting for TK to get position and feeding it to him on the low post. TK backed his man down, patiently waiting to make his move. And then, he spun around, raising the ball up like he was going to shoot, then he spun back around as his man jumped, and started to go around him-

And then, he didn't have the ball. Someone poked it loose. He looked down just in time to see the small forward on Showa taking possession, dribbling up. With no time to complain, TK bolted down the court.

He glanced at the clock as he settled down on defense. Still forty seconds left in the game. Showa would have to shoot, and as long as they could force a miss and grab the rebound, they'd have about twelve seconds to get the last possession. Showa dribbled at the top, letting the seconds tick off. TK watched the wings start to run through screens in the paint, sure that they'd start an offensive set with around seven seconds left on the shot clock, get a shot as late as possible...

And then, the Showa point guard simply stopped dribbling and fired up a shot, twenty seconds still on the shot clock. Ken was so surprised he hardly contested it. TK watched the show fly through the air, stomach turning with the realization that the shot looked pretty good. A second later, it flew right through the rim. The crowd went nuts. Timeout, Rakunan, Stewart frantically calling the team over.

"Okay!" Stewart called out over the crowd. "Come on, get in closer!" He waved everyone in closer to him. "Alright. We're gonna have to score and foul! Just get a good shot, I don't care if it's a two or a three! Just get a good shot and get it fast! Then, go for a steal, but if it's not there, foul immediately! Don't waste any time! Thirty seconds left. Get a good shot, go for the steal, and if you don't get it, foul whoever has the ball. We're not done yet!"

Ken immediately went over to TK, who had a ugly grimace on his face, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about it, we can still do this," Ken said. "Just get ready."

"I know they're gonna bring the double, I just...I don't know." TK looked around. "I know it's gonna come, but then I lose track."

"They're bringing some new looks. They're having people loop around from the opposite wing to double. They're switching things up, it's totally understandable." Ken nodded.

"No it's not. I'm...I don't know."

The whistle blew, and a second later Luke inbounded to Ken. He pushed it down the court as quickly as he could, then went right into a penetration into the lane without stopping. The defense collapsed on him and he swung it to Marcus, wide open in the corner. He raised up for the shot, but it bounced off the far side of the rim and into the grasp of a Showa player. TK immediately fouled.

TK sighed. Down by four, Showa taking the ball down for two free throws, twenty seconds left, Rakunan with one timeout left...Stewart could say whatever he wanted to, but this one was over.

.

"Dude, this is weird." TK walked down the hallway with doors every few dozen feet, flanked by Ken, both wearing heavy brown coats and jeans. "I mean in a way, it's disrespectful. It's like we're lying to him."

"No we're not. It's not disrespectful. He's a guy, we play basketball with him, he seems nice, why can't we try to be friends with him?" Ken tugged the jacket over his chest tighter. "Freaking freezing out."

"Yeah, but we're not doing this because he seems nice or whatever. We're doing this so he plays better. It's like we're telling him, 'hey, we wanna be your friend', but really we'd never be doing thing unless we wanted him to play better." TK looked around.

"Well, it's a white lie. Come on, it's an idea. If we can befriend him, maybe he won't feel like he has to make shots to win our approval." Ken stepped up to the elevator at the end of the hall and pushed the up button.

"Well this isn't really what I had in mind," TK grumbled.

"You had nothing in mind. Of course you didn't have it in mind. You had no ideas. At least I have an idea." Ken tapped his foot a few times.

"I can barely understand what he says! We probably don't have anything in common, this isn't gonna work." The elevator door slid open and the two stepped into the chamber.

"Look, Quincy has problems, but they're mental and easy to overcome. We just have to help a little bit." Ken hit the button for the fourth floor. "He's already there with Davis. I told Kari to make something for him, try to make him feel welcome. Let's just be nice."

"His problem is that his mom named him Quincy." TK felt the elevator rising upwards, making it feel like gravity had suddenly increased. "What kind of a-"

"Look. We just lost a game. It's not that big a deal yet, it's one game, we weren't gonna go undefeated, whatever. But now that we've lost a game, we need to take action and get Quincy with the program. If we don't, we'll lose more games, and then it'll be a real problem."

"We didn't lose because of him." The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. The two stepped out, walking down yet another blank hallway. "He took one shot the whole game. The game had nothing to do with him. We lost because I took nineteen shots and only made seven of them, and had six turnovers. I mean, just say it. I sucked, and we lost because of it."

The two turned right in the hallway, coming to a glass door that lead outside. Ken slid it open and passed through it with TK before closing it, exposing both of them back to the bitter cold on the outdoor covered hall.

"We lost because we're predictable." Ken stuck his hands in his coat pockets. "Your struggles on saturday were a symptom, not the disease. We can only play one way, and teams are starting to figure that out and gameplan accordingly."

"Yeah, but that has nothing to do with me missing shots at the rim and giving the ball away," TK insisted. "Come on, just say it. I sucked."

"You did. But you sucked because other teams know I'm not gonna shoot from more than ten feet away from the basket, know Davis never goes within fifteen feet of the basket, know Marcus is just a utility player who keeps things moving, know Luke can only score on wide open layups and putbacks...they know the team and they know how to play us." Ken peered over the handrail at the parking lot below, noting the frost on the lawn going around it. "So we need to come up with alternate ways to play. And Quincy's at the very core of that."

"Alright. But I'm going on record and saying that this isn't gonna work." TK stopped in front of one of the doors and knocked a few times.

A second later, the door opened, Kari smiling broadly. "Hello! You're just in time." TK and Ken stepped by her, slipping their shoes off at the front and stepping into the living room. Quincy was sitting there on the fat chair, Davis sitting on the right side of the couch.

"Hey Quincy!" Ken called out, quickly walking over to the couch and plopping himself down. "So, having a good day I hope?"

Quincy nodded. "Cold remind me of home, I get invited to pretty girl's apartment. Day is good."

TK immediately scowled at Quincy as he walked over to sit down, Ken waving a hand at him.

"That's great Quincy! Really, I'm glad you're doing well." Ken glared at TK for a half-second.

"And now pretty girl tell me she will try to make Russian soup dish she found online. Very sweet of her." He pointed at TK. "You lucky man."

"Yes, yes I am! Because I am dating this pretty girl," TK said loudly, giving a large fake smile. "And only me, because that is how we do things in Japan. One boy dates one girl, and that boy and girl do not date anyone else! I don't know how monogamy is in Russia, but-"

Ken elbowed TK in the chest.

"So. Good job on Saturday! You really did a nice job of swinging the ball into the post when you caught it, keep the ball moving in the offense." Ken nodded exaggeratedly.

Quincy shrugged. "Good job may be strong. We lost, I didn't score, can't not say I did good job."

"Nah man, losses...losses happen. I mean, you saw the school today. They're still all talking about basketball, still love us, still excited about the team...it's just a game, and one game out of thirty-two to boot. You notice that?" Ken leaned back on the couch, punching TK in the thigh until he did so as well.

"Yes. But blood in water. Sharks come soon." Quincy chewed his lower lip. "I am worried about next couple months. Three easy games, but four after that look hard."

"You got nothing to worry about!" Ken insisted. "In fact...hey, let's not even talk about the team right now, we got plenty of time to think about that in the future. But things are fine. Everyone loses sometimes. So, you moved here from Russia?"

Quincy nodded. "Yes. Mother Russian, Father Russian. Mother died when I was twelve in car accident."

"Oh, that's terrible. I'm sorry." Ken bowed his head slightly.

"Indeed. Last year, my father fall in love with beautiful Japanese woman who have good job here at bank. He decide to move here and marry her. So here I am." Quincy sat back in the fat chair. "Difficult transition, but it nice enough here."

"You do things for fun?" Davis chimed in.

Quincy smirked. "Shoot basketball in gym. Besides that, I grow up on Street Fighter."

"Oh, really? Well, so did I!" Ken leaned forward excitedly. "In fact we all enjoy a few rounds of it here and there, there's an arcade near here that we play it at sometime. You should come with us sometime and play with us."

"I can do that," Quincy said. "Other than that, I study language. I know four, working on fifth."

"Impressive," Ken enthused. "Very impressive. Hey, you know what? After we eat, why don't we all head down to the arcade? I got nothing going on tonight, why not?"

Kari raised her hand from the kitchen behind a steaming pot on the stove. "I have homework, I'll sit this one out. Guy's night out it is."

"Yeah, sure, can you guys all do that?"

Everyone nodded after thinking it over for a second.

"So, Quincy...who do you play?" TK asked. "Zangief, right?"

"That's racist," Quincy replied.

"Okay, yeah it is. Who do you play?" TK looked over at Kari sticking a large spoon into the pot.

"Zangief." Quincy looked out the window across from the chair.

"So I was right." TK squinted.

"Still racist."

.

"Holy smokes, now I've seen it all." TK put his hand up on his forehead. Zangief was doing his victory dance over the bloodied body of Vega. The screen went black, and both characters were back to standing on their sides of the arena.

"First time I've seen Ken get taken to round three in years," Davis agreed. "Crazy."

As soon as the match started, Vega bounced off the left wall and flew in to attack. Zangief used his green hand slap to smack Vega away. On recovery, Vega jumped to avoid a flying kick, then grabbed Zangief and threw him.

"Finally it's fun to watch Ken play Street Fighter again!" TK raised his glass of soda into the air. Zangief landed a flying kick after Vega missed a rolling combo, Vega countering immediately with a crouching hard kick. "Come on, finish him!"

Vega took off, jumping high into the air, then landing a strike on the top of Zangief's head. As Zangief tried to counter with a green hand slap, Vega went into his roll combo, landing, then darting back to the opposite wall before Zangief could counter. In a flash, he flew back in, striking Zangief with his claws. Zangief managed to pre-empt Ken's punch combo with a throw.

"Ken you'd be dead right now if Vega wasn't broken as hell," Davis said as Vega finished the fight by landing his super, getting in several blows to end the fight. "Such a cheap character."

Ken turned around and raised his fist into the air. "It's not my fault you guys don't want to learn how to use him."

"Highly competitive." Quincy turned around and looked at TK and Davis. "This guy, complete mastery over Claw. Only one other time have I seen such mastery over Street Fighter character. When I in fifth grade, math teacher used Dictator like no one I have ever seen before."

"Who's dictator?" Davis asked.

"Bison's alternate name," TK whispered. "Really? That's interesting. My teachers always tell me to stop playing video games."

"Complete master of scissor-kick-to-throw combo. Frustrated opponents with jump attacks. No one ever beat him. Brilliance. I see in you what I saw in him." Quincy pointed at Ken.

"Again!" Ken called out, stepping up to the arcade machine. "Let's keep this going!"

A second later, Vega and Zangief squared off again, Vega immediately going into a roll combo that Zangief blocked.

.

"See, told you you'd enjoy yourself." Ken leaned up against his locker, letting students pass by him in the hallway. "You should be more open to things."

"I'll enjoy myself more when he finally beats you." TK shut his locker. "He was close. Right there a couple times. He'll get you eventually. It's coming." He pointed at Ken. "He's coming for you."

Ken laughed. "He's not beating me. He might be good with Zangief, but Zangief is still only good at throwing. He's not taking two out of three rounds from me."

"I'm gonna laugh when it happens man. Laugh." TK shook his head.

"Well, we got three weeks to make him feel comfortable. Then we'll find out what we've got. If we can get him to play well in game situations, the sky is the limit. If not...well, I don't anticipate a great second half of the season. Whatever we can do to make him feel good." Ken slammed his locker shut.

"Why don't you let him beat you in Street Fighter?" TK asked.

"Hell no." Ken put his bag over his shoulder and took off down the hall. "Hell. No."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

.

I've received a couple of different instances of this question, and I don't see a fluid way to work my answer into the story itself for several chapters, so I'm just going to take a second to answer it outside of the story.

Ken and Davis did not necessarily have to give up soccer to play basketball. Basketball is an indoor sport that is played in cold-weather months, soccer is an outdoor sport that is played in warm-weather months. There are also far fewer soccer games in a soccer season than basketball games in a basketball season. It's entirely feasible than Ken and Davis could play for both the school basketball team and school soccer team. In fact, I would say it's probable that the two would probably want to participate in organized sports year-round.

Just thought I'd clear that up in no uncertain terms. Onward!

.

"Alright," Stewart clapped his hands in front of his face. "So, we finally dropped a game. Not a big deal at all, losses happen, and I want to stress you guys are all doing a fantastic job." He looked around at all the faces huddled around him. "We'll get back on track tomorrow, not a thing. But, over the last week, I've been thinking, we need to change things up." He pointed at TK. "Now, I've looked at the team we have, and I think we'd benefit from a new offensive play. Just keep defenders on their toes, give them a new look. I'd like to add a Pick and Pop play. You guys think we can do that?"

"Brilliant idea, coach!" Ken exclaimed. "That's why we pay you the big bucks."

"I wish." Stewart smirked. "TK, you've shown that you can hit jumpers if you're open, so we're gonna throw a new look at teams. So, you're gonna run up and set a screen on Ken's defender like you usually, do, but instead of spinning and going to the basket, you spin and go to the side the opposite way that Ken goes. Either your defender will go with Ken, and Ken can hit you for an open jumper, or your defender will go with you, and Ken should have a lane to drive to the basket. And if your defender goes with Ken, and Ken's defender goes with you, then we have a defensive mismatch."

TK nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I can do that."

"Now, I'm not trying to make anyone overlook our opponents. But these next three games, I think we can take care of business as long as we play to our strengths. I want to slowly incorporate the Pick and Pop into our game over these next three weeks, so it's ready when the hard part of our schedule kicks in. We'll run it a lot in practice, maybe once or twice in game, but we'll try to keep it close to the vest until it's time to bring it. Let's run through it a bit now and see what we've got."

The team turned around and walked onto the court, Ken and TK immediately seeking each other out.

"What do you think?" Ken asked quietly.

"It's something. It's a good idea, but it's a pretty minor change. It'll work for awhile, but they'll adjust and we'll have the same problem." TK shrugged. "But it's a good idea."

Ken nodded. "I agree. Quincy's the catalyst here. If we get him going, we've got all kinds of new lineups to throw out there. It's gonna be fun, but it's all about him."

They turned and saw Quincy casually pick up a ball from the left wing, three feet behind the three point line, and rise up to shoot. His shooting motion looked like it always did, fluid and balanced, and a couple seconds later the ball shuffled through the net.

"See, now it's starting to get me mad, seeing him nail everything in practice, because I know when it matters he'll brick everything." TK scowled.

"Chill out. We gotta work with him. It'll all work out." Ken cleared his throat. "Alright! Pick and Pop! Let's give it a go, everyone!"

Everyone assembled into teams, starters against the bench. Ken picked up a ball and dribbled at the top as TK came up to set a screen on Derrick. Ken took off towards TK's side, and TK saw Vincent shade over to stop Ken's drive as Derrick fought to get by TK.

TK went out to the opposite side, both Derrick and Vincent chasing Ken to try to keep him from the basket. Ken whistled the pass over to TK, who had taken a spot in an empty area on the left elbow. He rose up and shot a wide open jumper, nobody getting around to contest it, knocking it off the backboard and rim before it rolled in.

.

Ken neatly caught the ball off the tip from Luke and slowly dribbled up, starting the game. Immediately, TK got position on the low block on the left side and Ken fed him the ball.

As soon as he touched the ball, a second man ran over to swarm him and try to force him to give up the ball. TK whistled it into the left corner to Marcus, who threw it to the left wing back to Ken when a defender sprinted down to rotate to him. Ken took one dribble towards the basket, drawing multiple defenders, then hurled it to Davis in the right corner, left wide open by his man who had tried to rotate to Ken. Davis easily got his shot up from behind the arc before anyone could rotate over to him, swishing it home.

Kasai brought the ball up, Ken pressuring defensively the moment they crossed midcourt. The point guard had to pick up his dribble almost immediately, spinning around and hugging the ball to keep it away from Ken. One of his teammates ran up to the top and he tried to shuffle the ball to him, but Marcus ran through the lane and picked off the pass, taking off with the point guard chasing.

Marcus dribbled down into the lane and the Kasai point guard jumped in front of him. He passed it across the lane to Ken, who caught it in his right hand and immediately threw it right back to Marcus as the point guard lunged to Ken's side. Marcus caught it and laid it in, sparking cheers from the crowd.

"This is how you take out frustrations!" Ken called out to TK and Davis.

Kasai got the ball up, quickly getting the ball to the left wing to the shooting guard who fired up a shot with Davis's hand in his face and twenty-five seconds left on the shot clock. It rimmed off and bounced to TK, who got it over to Ken as the players shifted sides.

Ken dribbled around for a few seconds, then lunged forward to his right, into the paint, getting to around the free throw line before both bigs jumped out to converge on him. He easily lobbed it over them to TK, now wide open, who laid it in. More cheers.

.

"You ever feel sorry for the other team?" Yolei asked as Kasai took the ball up. "I mean, this is clearly gonna be one of _those_ games, you ever think about their feelings?"

"A little bit. I mean, if the lead gets massive we'll put the bench out there, definitely ease up, so it's not like we're trying to rip them apart. If you never wanna lose, you shouldn't join the team. Everyone loses at some point." Kari leaned back on the bleachers. "Y'know it's great that the school cares about basketball now, but I kinda miss the bleachers not being so crowded."

Marcus had just blocked a shot that a Kasai player had tried from the right corner behind the arc, then pushed it up to Davis. Davis took it over half court and got it to Ken, who saw the Kasai defense wasn't set yet and drove to the basket. Luke set a screen on Ken's defender as Ken cut into the paint, allowing him an unhindered layup that banked in.

"So...what do you think? What's your expert opinion?" Yolei asked as the cheers died down and Kasai brought it back up on offense.

"On what?" Kari watched the Kasai point guard dribble right into a long three that barely hit the rim. TK grabbed the rebound. "This team is full of chuckers. This is gonna be ugly."

"I mean, the team. You guys talk a lot about Quincy and how important he is, but I watch the games and he doesn't...you know, do anything. Why does he matter?" Yolei scooted closer to Kari as the guy to her left accidentally bumped her over.

"Quincy is a very gifted shooter. The guys have been talking about this lately, they know he has the ability to be dominant in that role. He's just not executing in games, and we need him to figure it out. If he doesn't, we're stale." Kari reached into her right pocket and pulled out a small black phone.

"How do you mean, stale? We started the season so great, why is this becoming a problem now?" Yolei watched TK catch the ball on the high post, spin and look around with the ball above his head, then whistle a pass to Marcus standing in the corner. Marcus took that moment to sprint into the paint, however, leaving the ball to sail out of bounds.

"Imagine you're playing against a guy in chess every week. And let's say he's really good at...I don't know, what's a chess tactic?" Kari rubbed her forehead. "I don't know chess, but-"

"A skewer?" Yolei suggested.

"Alright, let's say you're playing someone who's really really good at skewering in chess. And he beats you the first few times, but what happens then?"

Kasai again simply dribbled up into a three, this time hitting it for their first points of the game.

"Well, if all he does is skewer, I just make sure I don't put myself in position where I can be skewered, and eventually I'll probably win." Yolei shrugged. "Is it really the same thing?"

"Yeah. I mean, chess is a hundred percent mind game, and basketball has the physical element, but against good teams, that mental part of the game is huge. And right now, we're a team that can only do a few different things. It's predictable. We need another player to step up and contribute, and that guy is Quincy. He'd change everything."

Ken got the ball to TK on the low post, who spun around, faked a shot, dribbled once, went left, faked a hookshot and got the defender to bite, then slid underneath him and laid it in.

"So he shoots good in practice?" Yolei asked skeptically.

"Yup. Lights out." Kari nodded. "If there's pressure, he couldn't hit water if he was standing on a boat, but no pressure and he's a sharpshooter."

"I'll believe it when I see it."

.

TK turned to Ken as Quincy's three from the right wing grazed the front of the rim and landed in the lap of a Kasai big man. "So much for that."

"Come on man, it's one shot. And even ignoring that, it's one game. You're being a butt." Ken looked up at the ceiling. "Not like it really matters."

TK glanced up at the scoreboard. Indeed, it read HOME - 39 AWAY - 14 with three minutes left in the second quarter. Hardly a concern, but it still bugged TK.

"Look, we got three games to figure it out. We'll get Quincy plenty of shots and we'll try to bring him into the fold off the court. It's not gonna happen immediately. We just need it to happen in the next three weeks. Cool off."

Jason stole the ball from the Kasai point and took off down the court, beating everyone else down for an easy layup.

"Well, I'm trying to take this stuff seriously. You guys keep telling me I should," TK said. "I wanna play well, I wanna win, and this guy not playing well is making that hard for me. So I should be mad."

"Come on. There's a balance between just playing to have fun and playing to win. Find it." Ken reached underneath his chair. "Try to relax. Let me worry about the Quincy thing, it's my problem more than yours."

"I dunno about that."

Kasai ended up heaving a long three at the shot clock buzzer when the defense prevented them from getting an open look that airballed off the backboard. Luke grabbed it and pushed it up to Derrick. The defense frantically fell back, scrambling to keep Derrick out of the paint as he drove to the free throw line. He kicked it out to the left wing to a wide open Quincy, who rose up in that same, beautiful, perfect shooting motion, that produced a ball that clanked off the back of the rim.

"He's building a mansion out there," TK muttered. Luke grabbed the rebound and laid it up against the backboard, the ball rolling in. "Next time he gets in the game we'll be up by thirty-five, I'm sure he'll be making it rain then."

"Hell, the game's basically over now. I'm surprised he hasn't already started." Ken looked underneath his chair. "Someone took my bottle." He came back up and leaned back on the chair. "Who does that? What a jerk. Whoever he is."

.

Eighty to forty-eight, the buzzer echoing throughout the gym. As soon as the game was declared over, Ken ran over to TK.

"Hey. Don't look yet, but the fourth seat in the third row of the bleachers. Don't look. Wait until I walk away. I think he's the Max Preps scout." Ken quickly stalked off towards the bench, and TK casually spun around to face the bleachers, waving towards Kari as he peeked at the seat. Some middle-aged man in a red sweater was sitting there, holding what appeared to be a notebook. TK quickly walked back towards the bench to Ken.

"What makes you think that?" TK whispered.

"I've seen him at all the games. Never seen him before. Come on, that's gotta feel pretty good, right? You're getting an internet scout to come watch all your games as a Freshman!" Ken grinned.

"Well...he's an amateur scout. It's not..._that_ big a deal. I guess it's cool." TK took a peek at him out of the corner of his eye before looking back at Ken. "Okay, back to the topic at hand. Same stuff, different day. Any more bright ideas with Quincy?" The backup small forward had hit two of three three-pointers in the second half, longer after it mattered.

"Yes. We stick with the plan. I didn't expect things to happen immediately. He hung out with us once, no way he feels comfortable already. Give it some time. Although, you just reminded me..." Ken took off across the court, heading towards the door that lead back out into the school hall. Just before the door, he grabbed Marcus by the shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"What's up?" Marcus asked. "Is this about that half-court shot? Because I swear I thought the shot-clock was about to run out-"

"No, no, I don't care about that. Well, don't do it again, but...no. I just wanted to talk to you about this before I did it. These next two games, I want to see as much of Quincy as possible. You're still gonna start, but I want Quincy to get as many minutes as possible. Just know it's nothing against you, you're doing fine." Ken looked around, pulling Marcus to the side, away from the stream of people exiting. "You okay with that?"

"Is it gonna help us win?" Marcus asked.

"That's the idea," Ken answered.

"Then you do whatever makes sense. This is my last year here, I wanna win," Marcus turned to walk off. "Do what makes sense, man."

Ken waved at him. "Thank you, I will!"

"He's the perfect role-player," TK said, coming up behind Ken. "I'm gonna miss him next year."

"Next year is a long way away. Let's keep our mind on the present." Ken smacked TK on the back. "Alright, let's get out of here."

.

"Oh man," Kari said, wrapping both her hands around TK's left bicep. "Look at the size of these! Are you sure you're fourteen? I need to see your birth certificate young man!"

"They're big because you're constantly hounding me about lifting." TK picked up his pencil and resumed writing on the piece of paper in front of him. "Maybe if my girlfriend wasn't such a slavedriver I'd look like a normal fourteen-year-old. I could walk into a bar, order alcohol, and they might not even try to card me."

"Not with that face," Kari teased. "Your face looks like a ten-year-old's."

"Sometimes I wonder how the heck it happened. Remember how short I was, like...six years ago? I was tiny!"

"You were shorter than me," Kari said wistfully.

"No. No, I was never shorter than you." TK shook his head.

"Well, you always wore that giant hat thing. Take that thing off I had you beat, easily." Kari poked TK's sides a couple times. "Not even close."

"No. No way. Hat or no hat, doesn't matter."

The doorbell rang, TK immediately rocketing up from his seat and setting the pencil down.

"It's okay, it's just Quincy, I'll get it," Kari said, standing up.

"I know it's Quincy," TK said, walking by her. "I'll get it."

"You're ridiculous, you know that TK?" Kari smirked as TK made for the door. "He said I was pretty. It's polite. What's he gonna do, brainwash me in the time it takes for me to escort him from the door to your room?"

"Yeah, well, no reason to give him any ideas. It's my house, I should be greeting him. If you do it, it might give him ideas." TK slid out the door and quickly strode down the hallway to the front door.

"Hello!" TK said on swinging the door open, revealing a thickly-coated Quincy. "Cold enough for you?"

"Almost." Quincy stepped through the door, looking around the apartment. "Nice place."

"Thank you," TK closed the door. "So, things going alright?"

Quincy shrugged off the brown jacket. "Things alright now, maybe not in few minutes."

"What do you mean?" TK grabbed the jacket from Quincy and hung it up on the hangar to the right of the front door.

"Star player of basketball team I play on invite me to his apartment, I assume to chew me out for missing shots. I take it like man, but can not say I have good time getting chewed out," Quincy said.

TK chuckled. "No. No, not at all. I'm not...no, I didn't tell you to come here for...for that. That's not how I do things. No."

"You sure?" Quincy asked, putting his hands in his pants' pockets.

"Yes, yes, I'm sure. Look, I don't have any problem with you at all. You've got some things you're trying to work through, I have plenty of respect for that. I really do." TK guided him down the hall. "I totally understand your nervousness."

"Alright," Quincy said. "If you're sure."

"So why don't you take a seat on our couch? I'll be right with you." He pointed at the couch in the living room at the end of the hallway, then slid back into his bedroom and closed the door.

"I'll be right with you?" Kari repeated. "What are you, a chiropractor?"

"Shut up," TK hissed. "You know, I don't know why Ken couldn't do this, it's his idea and he knows it better than me."

"It'll mean more coming from you." Kari thrust a piece of paper into TK's hands. "When does your mom get home tonight?"

"She's not coming home tonight." TK looked the writing on the paper over. "I'm gonna have a daddy-in-law soon."

"Oh wow. Who's the guy?" Kari raised an eyebrow.

"Uh. Martin." TK swallowed down hard. "I dunno, I guess I don't _know_ that it's anything serious, but they're obviously knocking boots now. Might happen."

"First I'm hearing of this," Kari crossed her arms over her chest. "How is he?"

TK shrugged. "He's nice, but I don't like him."

"What does that mean?" Kari held her hands out at her sides. "How can he be nice, but you don't like him? That doesn't make any sense, why don't you like him?"

"I don't know. Because I'm an angsty teenager who doesn't like anything. Look, he's a guy who's sleeping with my mother, and he's not my father. That's all the reason I need to not like him." TK grimaced. "You wouldn't understand, sorry."

"Well yeah, I get that, but aren't you used to it? I mean, the separation was awhile ago, she must have dated plenty of guys over the years." Kari shrugged.

"You'd think it, but...no, not really." TK looked at the bedroom door. "I dunno, it's not that big a deal yet I guess. Maybe I'll warm up to him."

"And isn't your dad a workaholic, chain-smoking, alcoholic jerk?" Kari frowned. "C'mon, what are you clinging to?"

"Yes, but he's _my_ workaholic, chain-smoking, alcoholic jerk, that's the point."

Kari sighed. "Well. Davis'll be disappointed."

"What?" TK turned to Kari. "Why would Davis-"

"Honey, Davis is _totally_ into your mother. I mean, you can't tell?" Kari said.

"No, no, no, no he is not." TK shook his head vigorously.

"Yes, he is. Sorry to break it to you, I'm just the messenger." Kari stepped back a few steps and sat down on the end of TK's bed. "How many people hug the mother of their friend every time they see her?"

"No, no. Stop talking." TK continued to shake his head. "No more talking for you. No more words. No, no, no."

"I am still out here!"

Both TK and Kari looked at the door.

"And you have thin walls. I can hear everything you say. Just so you know."

TK and Kari looked at each other, then Kari started smiling and laughing quietly to herself.

"My dad is quitting smoking by the way," TK muttered, slowly meandering towards the door.

"I'm sure," Kari said sarcastically.

"No, I'm serious. He joined a support group for it and everything." TK grabbed the door knob.

"Yeah, that'll work. Go entertain your guest." Kari nodded at the door.

"It's gonna work." TK opened the door and slipped out. "You watch."

"Sorry," Quincy said as sooon as TK shut the door. "I should have said something sooner."

"No, no, it's fine. I mean, it's my apartment, I really should know about the...wall thickness." He quickly walked over to the couch. "So, you're probably wondering why I asked you here."

"Now I am," Quincy glanced out the window at the raindrops streaming down.

"Well, we're gonna try to change things up on the team, and...well, we'll gonna go over it in practice of course, but you're at the center of the changes. So I wanted to go over it beforehand so you're...y'know, ready." TK put the piece of paper on the coffee table.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Quincy raised an eyebrow.

"We want to make you...a bigger part of this offense." TK pointed at the piece of paper. "We need to throw some new looks out there, add some flavor, give us alternate lineups. Obviously it effects everyone, but you're gonna see your minutes go up considerably in the near future. You're gonna start being the sixth man off the bench. So, halfway through the first quarter, give or take a minute, you'll be subbing in for Marcus. Uh, you'll probably play more minutes than Marcus ultimately."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Quincy looked down at the paper slip.

"It's what we need right now." TK grabbed the paper and held it in front of him. "So, lineups. Uh, obviously if you're the sixth man off the bench, you'll be at small forward with...Ken, Davis, me and Luke. Here, you'll be running off a lot of screens set by me and Luke. You and Davis running around, it'll be hard to keep track of both. Just be ready for Ken to hit you with a pass on the perimeter after you run off screens. Make sure you get behind the arc, if you're taking a long shot it may as well be worth three points. If we run a play in the post for me, we're gonna do a lot of off-ball movement. Something different."

"Anything specific?" Quincy asked.

TK leaned forward and put his finger on the coffee table. "Well, let's say I'm on the right block and you're in the left corner. If I get the ball, you'd run out to the left wing, sort of the spot between the left wing and the top. Then you zig through the lane down to the left block. Then you run to the right wing, again near the top, then you go into the right corner. Like an M shape. It'll be more confusing to defend than simply standing in the corner. Combine that with trying to double-team me, and odds are something good will happen."

"Alright," Quincy said.

"The other lineup you'll play with a lot is Derrick, Jason, me and Luke. It's sort of similar, but obviously Jason gets to the rim more. So you'll stand in the corner to clear space, and if your defender runs in to help stop Jason, he'll kick it out to you. From there you can shoot, or if someone rotates to you, you can pass back to the top or into the low post depending on what you see."

"Simple enough," Quincy said.

"So that's the basic stuff. Now things get tricky. There's another lineup set that Ken wants to introduce, just for a few minutes a game, to really throw a curveball. It's gonna be Ken, Derrick, Davis, you, and me. Derrick's shooting guard, Davis's small forward, you're power forward, I'm center." TK coughed.

"You guys crazy?" Quincy chuckled.

"Maybe. It's a smallball lineup, designed to feature all our shooters. What we lack in size-"

.

"-we make up for in speed and shooting," Ken explained, walking around the court as the nine other players on the team, as well as Coach Stewart, watched him. "We have the luxury of still having decent size in this lineup. TK's six feet tall, which is fine for a center against most teams, and Quincy's not any smaller than most power forwards out there in terms of height. Obviously, this lineup isn't great defensively. I'm sure we'll give up some baskets. But this new lineup does two things for us that I think make it worth it. First, we'll be able to run more, get easier points. Second, it's going to be nearly impossible to defend three elite shooters _and_ TK at once."

"Elite," TK muttered to himself, glancing at Quincy. "Put the annointing oil away, Ken."

"So offensively, with this lineup, we spread the floor. I control the ball, and we've got Derrick, Davis and Quincy on the perimeter. The core of this offensive lineup will be getting the ball into the low post, to TK. Because the power forward here, Quincy, will be staying behind the three point line, that means the opposing power forward will be inclined to stay on the perimeter as well to guard him. Leaving TK matched up, one-on-one, with the center, and no defender anywhere near them. And I like TK's odds to either score or draw a foul more often than not in that situation." Ken pointed down to the left basket at the low post area, where TK would obviously be working from. "If a defender decides to run into the low post to double team TK, that leaves one of our perimeter players wide open. TK will find you, just catch and make the right decision."

"If you're open, don't hesitate to shoot it," Stewart added. "We'll live with missing good shots, just take them and they'll fall." He resumed chewing on the tip of his pen.

"We'll also use an alternate lineup. Same deal, but instead of TK we'll have Luke out there. When we use this lineup, we gain a lot on defense. Luke can protect the paint and help compensate for Quincy playing power forward. Offensively, it's all about fast passes around the perimeter until the ball finds the open man. I'd drive to the basket, wait for the help defense to come, and then get it to whoever got left open. We swing the ball around the perimeter until it finds someone open. Alright, I guess that's about it. We've got a couple games to work this stuff into the gameplan." Ken clapped loudly. "Let's give it a spin."

As soon as he stopped talking, the team broke up and walked onto the court. Jason, however, made a beeline right for Ken.

"Hey, do you have a problem with me or something?" He asked, holding his arms out at his sides.

"No," Ken said flatly. "No problem at all."

"Look, I'm trying to be cool here, but I see what you're trying to do here!" Jason looked around. "I decided to be a good sport when you sent me to the bench, but now you're cutting my minutes _again?_" He leaned in closer to Ken and pointed at Quincy with his thumb. "To some guy who can't hit a thing? Do you have a problem with my game?"

"No. In fact, now that I've watched you play over the last ten games, I understand your game better than ever and know exactly the role you can best contribute to the team. And I'm just trying to apply that knowledge," Ken said.

"Man, whatever. Before you guys got here, I ran this team. Two years I ran this team. Now you just show up and wanna write me out?" Jason walked off.

"Time bomb," TK said, walking over to Ken. "Tick tick tick tick."

"I know, I know." Ken bit his cheek. "I don't totally blame him though."

"What are you gonna do?" TK looked at Jason's back as he stalked off to the water fountain in the corner of the gym.

"Hope it works out." Ken shrugged.

.

"See? See!" Ken yelled to TK as they ran down the court. Quincy had just sunk a right wing three.

"You're kidding, right?" TK deadpanned. There were twenty seconds left in the second quarter, Rakunan leading thirty-one to twenty-five. Quincy had taken six threes so far, the first five had bricked off the rim.

"Come on, it's something. Lemme enjoy it." Ken grinned as Oji High brought the ball down.

After dribbling around at the top, they got it in to TK's man on the low post near the end of the clock. TK managed to block an attempted spin move layup at the buzzer, and both teams walked off the court as a few staff members ran on to mop up the wood floor.

"This is driving me nuts," TK exclaimed as he sat down, Ken taking the seat next to him.

"Hey, at least they're all open shots." Ken sucked in a deep breath. "Don't worry about it, it's fine."

"Fine? Hey, Ken," TK motioned at the scoreboard. "This game is a long ways from over. Third quarter, we run traditional lineups until the game is over. I can roast these guys, stop giving Quincy possessions. Please."

"Hey, I'm not gonna let us lose this game. C'mon, you're angry right now, take halftime and just sit back. Relax. We'll run the starters out their in the third and it'll be your show." Ken sat back. "Take it easy. We'll stomp em out."

TK scowled, but nevertheless did sit back and relax as instructed. "That's two games, by the way. He's got one more to turn it around, and if he doesn't, this gets ugly."

"Hey, Quincy!" Ken called out as he slowly came over to the bench, sitting next to Ken. "Great form on that last three, that's what we're talking about man!"

TK rolled his eyes.

.

TK spun right and rose his right arm up like he was going for a hookshot, then pulled it back in as his defender rose up to block it. He slid underneath him and got the layup in before the center could come over on the help defense.

"Told ya," Ken said as they retreated down the court. "Nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, just be lucky you have me," TK grunted.

Oji tried a pick and roll, but Luke was able to run up and snatch the pass to the power forward. Ken took it up the other way and called for the Pick and Pop.

TK went down to the block, then came back up and set a pick to the right of Ken's defender. Ken bolted towards TK's side, both defenders shading over to keep him from getting towards the basket.

TK spun out and ran the opposite direction, seeing the opposing center getting ready to jump in front of TK. Ken whirled the ball back to TK, who caught it and faced the basket. Nobody was around, so he rose up and shot it, knocking it in from sixteen feet out.

The buzzer sounded. The third quarter was done, and Rakunan held a sixty to thirty-nine lead.

"Putting the team on your back!" Ken called out on the way to the bench, smacking TK on the back.

"Yeah, only had to because of you and your bright ideas." TK sat down on the bench heavily. "Feel free to get Quincy out there now. I'm sure he's ready to start knocking everything down."

"Look. It's not perfect, but the new lineups are getting us open looks and easy buckets. Quincy hitting his shots is a big part of this, but there are other pieces. Most of the pieces are working as planned. It's not a disaster or anything."

"If you buy a boat, and you move the deck chairs on it around, it's still the same boat, Ken." TK looked over at his friend. "Yeah, the changes are a nice addition, but none of it matters if you're gonna give big minutes to a guy who's only good at shooting, who can't shoot, and...I swear that made sense in my head."

"Patience." Ken sat back. "Let's take the start of the fourth off. Hell of a third, by the way."

"Yeah. I was angry." TK watched Derrick, Jason, Quincy, Vincent, and Luke stand up to enter the game. "I feel better now."

They watched in silence as the fourth quarter started with Vincent inbounding to Jason.

"If this Quincy thing doesn't work, Jason's going to lead a revolt. You realize that, right?" TK watched Jason dribble around at the top, then take off towards the basket.

"Give him some credit. He's starting to figure the game out a little bit. He's coming around."

Jason kicked it into the corner to Quincy after two other defenders collapsed in on him. Quincy rose up and nailed the corner three.

"Typical," TK grunted.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

.

"Boom!" Ken shouted, turning away from the machine and raising his hand into the air. "It's like I said, my friend, you're not taking two out of three from me with Zangief!"

"It is coming, friend. It is coming." Quincy insisted, stepping away from the machine.

"You're the best Zangief player I've ever seen, Quincy, but Zangief still sucks." He pointed at the machine. "TK! Kari! Take it away!"

The couple stepped up to the machine, Kari sticking a quarter into the machine.

"You ever play in a tournament, Quincy?" Ken asked.

"Back in Russia, I compete in tournament." Quincy nodded. "Was fun. Placed third, won t-shirt. But it never t-shirt weather in Russia, so I never wear it." He shrugged. "Maybe I wear it now."

"I've won three tournaments at expos and conventions," Ken said. "Funny story, at one of them I won a street fighter two arcade machine, but there's no room for it in my apartment! Big shame. My dad has it in storage downtown, hopefully in a few years I wind up somewhere where I can whip it out."

"Absolutely not," TK insisted as he did a series of uppercuts with Ken to keep Kari's DeeJay at bay. "You're already way too good at this game, if you were able to play it at home without having to think about quarters, the world would end."

"It's not my fault you spam throws," Ken said. "And that you always block high on wakeup."

Ken grabbed DeeJay and kneed him in the face several times, taking the last of his life and sparking round two.

"Here's an idea," Davis piped up, standing to the left of the machine. "How about Ken plays Quincy, but Ken can't use Vega."

"I prefer to beat people when at best," Quincy said. "Is not necessary."

"Nah, we can do that."

Someone tapped Ken on the shoulder. Ken spun around to come to face with one of the staff members of the arcade.

"Excuse me, sir, these are yours," she said, handing him a basket of crinkle fries.

"Thank you," he said, taking the basket and nodding. "Anyway, Quincy, I will totally take on your Zangief with my Bison. I'm almost as good with Bison."

DeeJay unleashed a kick combo on Ken, putting him in dizzy, which DeeJay quickly capitalized on by throwing Ken into the left wall. Ken had just a touch of life left, and as soon as he got up, DeeJay did a low kick that took him out.

"Always blocks high on wakeup," Kari repeated, smirking up at TK. "Good call, Ken."

"See what I mean?" Ken snatched one of the fries out of the basket, then set the basket on the end table next to the machine. "Anyway, I'll totally play Bison."

"Boooo!" Davis cried, snatching one of the fries from the basket. "Bison and Vega are almost the same character, both are cheap as all get out. No Bison!"

"How about Ken plays with a random character against Quincy?" Yolei suggested, standing several steps behind the machine, hands in her pockets and looking around the arcade. "Just make it random."

"Ken won't do that," TK said as he launched Ken's super, finishing DeeJay off and winning the match. "He's scared. He loses one game in this arcade and his reputation goes into the toilet."

"What reputation?" Ken asked, stepping up to the machine and motioning Quincy to step up as well. "I still have to pay for soda and fries here, my reputation is not nearly what you guys think. I'll play random."

The select screen came up, and Ken went to the random generator slot as Quincy picked Zangief. Ken waited a second, then stomped on the A button. Vega came up in the character square.

"Son of a-" Davis groaned as the fight started.

"Oh my god," TK said as Vega flew up into the air and came down on Zangief's head with a slash of his claws. "Ken has mastered this game so much, he can time the random character selection to get the character he wants. I knew it, he's an alien!"

Ken grabbed Zangief and threw him, then tried to do a rolling combo that Zangief countered with a green hand slap.

"You can't time the random character selection," Ken said. "I tried it."

"Yeah, well, the fact that you tried it makes you an alien anyway," TK replied. Zangief managed to grab Vega after backing away from a roll, then stomp him into the ground. Vega got up and immediately bounced off the far wall before diving in for a slash that Zangief blocked.

TK grabbed a handful of fries and started popping them into his mouth. "What if we did Zangief against Zangief? That'd be fair."

"I don't like Zangief," Ken said quickly, backing away from Zangief's grab and landing a rolling combo that ended the round. "I only played him that one time because you were whining."

"Exactly, that's the point. Gives you a handicap, makes things balanced," TK said, pulling his jacket tighter over his chest. "God it's cold in here."

"That's not balanced. The game is balanced already, you guys just suck. I'm not playing Zangief, Honda, or Cammy. Anyone else is fine." Vega did a punch combo that Zangief blocked and countered with a grab and throw.

"Well, play someone who's not Vega," TK insisted. "Or Bison."

"Or Sagat," Davis added. "Or Ken, or Fei Long, or Ryu, or Guile, or-"

"You guys are babies!" Ken snapped. "I don't see Quincy complaining." Vega did two straight throws, ending the match. "Vega doesn't even have a fireball attack, I don't ever see you guys trying to take advantage of that."

"If you gave Vega a fireball attack the game would be completely broken!" TK exclaimed. "You may as well make that something you get when you enter a cheat code."

"Okay, compromise." TK put his hands out in front of him. "Anyone who's not Vega. Even Bison if you want."

"Alright." Suddenly, something behind TK caught Ken's eye. "Oh, hey guys, you made it!"

TK spun around, coming to face Luke, Marcus, and Derrick, standing there in heavy coats.

"Oh, you guys...what a funny coincidence!" TK said.

"Actually, I invited them. Y'know, we're a team, may as well do some team building activities!" Ken said. He then passed a wad of bills to Yolei from his pocket. "Next time she walks by, flag her down and get more food. So, you guys play street fighter?"

"I play it on a controller," Marcus said, walking up to the machine and looking at it. "I dunno man, this is nuts."

"Well, it's a little hobby of ours. I'm just about to take on Quincy, after the match we'll bring you guys into the fold a little bit."

.

"He is gonna be so whiny this week," Kari said under her breath as Quincy bricked a three from the top off the side of the rim.

"Why? We're winning." Yolei motioned up to the scoreboard. Rakunan held a sixty-eight to fifty-five advantage with seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

"Quincy still can't hit a thing. Quincy drives TK crazy. Like, completely insane. You mention his name and TK's eye twitches." Kari smirked to herself. "He's zero-for-seven now."

"What's the big deal? I mean, we're winning, the team is playing fine." Yolei pursed her lips. "I don't get it sometimes."

"The schedule is about to get hard. Most of the games we have left are against good teams."

Izumo High got the ball onto the left block, but Ken ran down and poked the ball away from the power forward as he was making his move. He ran down the court, slowing up around half-court, seeing everyone on defense slow up, then took off past the three point line, into the paint, and laying it up before the defense could react.

"Ken knows they have to throw some new looks out there against good teams. He wants to play a smallball lineup." Kari tapped her foot on the bleachers a few times.

"What does that mean, exactly? Smallball." Yolei sucked her left cheek under her teeth.

"It's a lineup that's smaller than normal. TK plays center, Quincy plays power forward. It makes up for size with speed and shooting. You don't wanna play it all the time, but you can play it a little bit to mix things up. But it won't be worth anything if Quincy doesn't hit his shots."

Izumo's point guard dribbled into a fifteen foot jumper that went in, Ken failing to get up to contest it.

"So what does that mean?" Yolei asked.

"I dunno." Kari shrugged. "Knowing Ken, he'll just keep on plugging away. He doesn't like to panic."

Ken brought it up and got it into TK on the right low block. TK swung to his left and rose up to shoot a hook shot from eight feet away that went in.

"Well, eleven and one," Kari said, looking up at the scoreboard. "Let's just try to enjoy that."

.

"What do you mean you don't want to have anything to do with basketball?" Ken asked into the transmitter at the base of his cell phone. He was walking across the well-kept lawn of the school, towards the large brown track that circled the football field. "This doesn't even really relate to basketball. I just have a teammate who could benefit from some relaxation and focus techniques that you learned in Kendo."

Ken waved at Marcus as they passed each other by.

"Yes, I know you're short. Look, I'm sure any day now you'll finally have your growth spurt and we'll look back on this and laugh. It'll be funny! Hey, Cody, remember when you were really short? Isn't that weird given that you're so tall now? It'll be like that."

Ken looked up and saw TK jogging around the track.

"Come on, it barely relates to basketball! Look, I'm sorry you're short, I'm not trying to make fun of you." Ken glanced over and saw Kari standing on the outside of the track, watching TK run. "Okay, fine. See you later." He hung up the phone and slipped it into his left pocket. "Freaking Cody."

He quickly strode across the remaining space between him and Kari.

"And he wonders why we almost never hang out any more," grumbled Ken.

"What's the matter?" Kari asked.

"It's Cody. I asked him to try to help Quincy with his focus issues, and he gets all upset because he thinks I'm making fun of his height because I'm asking him to help with basketball." Ken scowled. "Kid needs to freaking grow already."

"I don't know if it's gonna happen." Kari looked down at her watch. "I think he's gonna be short forever."

"I don't want him running so much by the way," Ken commented as TK rounded the corner on the far side. "It'll zap his legs for the games."

"Don't worry, he doesn't run very often. He's fine, we know what we're doing." Kari bit her lower lip as a girl attempted to say something to TK as he came around the last corner, but TK ignored her and kept on running. "Although I'd prefer a private track sometimes."

"Oh, this is only the beginning," Ken said warningly. "So how's he doing?"

"Whiny," Kari responded quickly. "Y'know. Always finding something to be negative about. Not that I blame him. It might be time to stick a fork in this Quincy thing before it hurts us."

"If I bury Quincy, we'll be lucky to win half of the rest of our games. Vanilla offenses don't work long if that's all you run." Ken crossed his arms over his chest. "If this Quincy thing doesn't work out, then we were screwed either way. But if it does...don't tell TK, but there's no reason why we can't win the district tournament. It's the only option. We have to get him going."

"Yeah, well, tell that to TK."

At that moment, TK slowed to a halt in front of the two. "Hello. Here to tell me how I was so very much right and you were ridiculously wrong?"

"No," Ken said flatly. "Stay the course."

"Oh, so Quincy's getting the green light next week? Against Roka?" TK scoffed. "Well, we can forget about that one."

"Your lack of faith is disturbing." Ken walked onto the track and smacked TK on the back. "It'll work."

"It's never going to work!" TK hissed. "He can't handle the pressure, that's just how he is! You being his friend for a couple weeks is not going to undo the fourteen years that caused him to become someone who chokes under the spotlight."

"Don't worry, I talked with Coach Stewart already. He agrees that we need to give Quincy a long leash, and he'll let him keep playing until he comes around." Ken nodded.

"That's not what I meant!" TK frowned. "I mean that your leash can be long enough to reach the moon, and it's just not going to happen. And now it's going to cost us games."

"Let me worry about shot distribution," Ken insisted. "You just worry about getting the ball in the low post and rebounding. Now, I actually came here to tell you that there's a party at my place tonight. Be there."

"Who's coming?" TK wiped some sweat off his forehead.

"Everyone. Whole team. Team-building!" Ken called out.

"In your apartment? You're gonna fit ten basketball players into your apartment?" TK put his hands out at his sides. "That's crazy, what are you gonna do, cram someone in the closet?"

"The guy who lives next to me said we can use his place too," Ken explained. "He likes the team, doesn't mind."

"Well, what are we gonna do? Stand around talk to each other?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that? Get to know your teammates, find common ground. What's wrong with that?" Ken shrugged. "Be there."

"Oh, of course I'll be there. I might be able to give Quincy food poisoning," TK said dryly.

.

"I don't really like parties," TK said uneasily, standing in front of the elevator with Kari. "You know that. I mean, I like friends, I like hanging out with people, but...a party with a bunch of people, you just stand around and smile at people while secretly hoping everyone you don't really know goes home."

The elevator gave a soft ding and the doors slid open. The two stepped into the large chamber.

"I know. But it's not the worst thing in the world for you to stretch your boundaries a little. Besides, these are your teammates. You should get to know them. I'm glad Ken is doing this stuff." Kari pushed the button for the fourth floor on the panel, causing the doors to close.

"I dunno, I don't see myself fitting in." TK felt the elevator start to move upwards.

"TK. There are only a handful of basketball players in Japan who play at the level that you do. These guys love you, you're the meal ticket. Suddenly, all of them are getting attention and being a part of a winning team, and it's because of you." Kari leaned against the left wall of the elevator and crossed her right leg over her left.

"I don't...I don't fit in, I don't think. Yeah, I produce, but I'm not a typical basketball guy. I just happen to be tall and skilled." TK shrugged. "Not really my thing."

"That's not true anymore. All kinds of people play basketball. Come on, you know this. Don't fall into those stereotypes. Maybe Steve is into...ballroom dancing, or maybe Derrick likes men's fashion." The elevator stopped and the steel doors slid open.

"Great. I don't like ballroom dancing or men's fashion," TK deadpanned.

"The point is, you have no idea what these guys like." Kari grabbed TK's left hand and led him out of the elevator. "So don't assume anything."

TK and Kari walked down the hall in silence, finally arriving at two doors next to each other that had been left open. People were talking in both rooms. TK and Kari went into the right room, and were immediately greeted by Ken.

"Evening!" Ken called out. "Let's have some fun tonight, guys. Let's not forget, we are the eleven-and-one Rakunan Wildcats. At least until the principal checks his suggestion box and changes the name of the team to the Rakunan Sephiroths."

"If the team changes names to the Sephiroths, I'm quitting," TK said quickly. "Like, right then and there. I will quit the team and leave you guys to fight it out."

"Whatever. Anyway, try to be cool. These guys love you, they look up to you. Put a little bit of effort into it and it'll be your team."

TK shook his head. "Man it's your team. Y'know, maybe I score the most, but you're the leader. You are. And I'm fine with that."

"And I'm fine that you're fine with that. But as the star player, you should at least make yourself open and appear friendly to everyone. These guys already like you. It's not even going to be hard." Ken looked around. "Just make yourself open."

"Hey guys! Torres just scored!" Davis called out from across the living room, pointing at the television.

"You're kidding me!" Vincent said, coming out the hallway to look at the screen.

"Aw man," TK said, walking into the living room. "I was enjoying making fun of him."

.

"So you used to be short? Crazy man. I mean, we're all short at some point, but still." Derrick shook his head, sitting on the left edge of the couch.

TK was seated on the right edge, holding a plastic red cup in his left hand. "Yeah. Like, short for my age. I don't know how it happened, but...here I am. Six feet tall." He shrugged. "Crazy, you're right."

"Luiz just got the red card!" Davis yelled out, seated on the right armrest of the couch. "He's mad!"

"Stop yelling," TK said. "If people want to know what's going on in the game they'll watch the game."

"So, you...you into this too?" Vincent asked, leaning against the left wall, pointing at the TV.

"I watch it a little bit. Y'know, I grew up in a soccer culture, so of course I'm into it a little bit. But I don't play. Not really built for it." He pointed at Davis. "Now this guy, this guy and Ken, they're insane. They're on the school soccer team too. As soon as the national tournament ends, soccer starts. They don't even get a week off. And then, soccer wraps up and they're gonna roll right into basketball next year!"

"I like to keep active," Davis said. "I'm competitive. I'm constantly competing. Always wanna win."

"Ken is a prodigy too, you guys are gonna like him. That stuff that makes him so good at basketball, it's the same thing. He plays soccer the same way. It's amazing." TK took a sip out of his cup. "Frenetic, fast pace of play, people can't keep up."

"Man, you guys are just gonna completely flip the script on Rakunan athletics aren't you?" Derrick said.

"You better believe it." TK smirked. "But trust me, seriously, you guys are going to forget I exist after you see Ken on the soccer field."

"Hey! I'm sitting right here," Davis hissed.

"Yeah, and this Davis guy-" TK pointed at Davis "-he plays like my girlfriend's brother. If my girlfriend's brother was drunk."

"I hate you guys," Davis sulked.

"Hey, Tai's really good! That's actually kind of a compliment!" TK leaned back against the couch backrest. "Tai would still probably be good when he's drunk."

"Eh heh heh heh...seriously. I hate you guys." Davis shook his head.

.

"Alright Ken. I socialized, I was open, I got to know my teammates, and I kept my mouth shut around Quincy," TK said, looking into the mirror. The two were standing in the school bathroom, changed into their game attire. "I hope, for your sake, it pays off in twenty minutes here."

"This isn't a bank. You can't make deposits of good behavior and withdraw good karma or something," Ken replied. "I'm taking a calculated and sensible risk to help improve the team. No guarantees it happens immediately. I just need you to keep faith in me."

"He had three games to show us something, and we got nothing." TK turned around to look at Ken. "He was...what, one for fourteen from three when the game was actually in question? This is like going into battle with a gun that has gotten jammed every time you've tried to use it in the past. Isn't that an insane idea? That's what you're asking us to do!"

"Like I said. It's a risk. A calculated risk. You just score and rebound. This is a quality team we're playing today. If we don't mix things up a little today we're gonna lose." Ken walked over to TK and smacked him on the back. "Let's roll."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

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Ken took the ball up to the top, the clock starting on the game. TK immediately went down to the left post and turned. He could immediately tell things weren't going to be easy. His man pushed against him, getting him away from the basket without fouling, while at the same time positioning his body so it would be hard to get him the pass.

On the other side, Davis ran in from the wing to where Luke was, then ran back out to the right elbow. Luke took the opportunity to set a screen on Davis's defender, and Ken got him the ball. Davis whirled around for the fifteen foot shot, but it clanked off the back of the rim and bounced to the center.

Roka moved up the court, immediately shifting into an offensive set. Everyone on their team moved constantly. The big moved back and forth, out of the paint, wings zooming around from side-to-side. The point guard got it over to the small forward on the left wing, who turned and peered into the low post before getting it back over to the point guard on the right wing. The point guard dribbled into the corner, and the power forward ran to the right wing, while the center went over to the left low post. The ball swung from the point guard to the power forward, then down to the center. He went to work against Luke, trying a spin fake to the left before going right, but Luke was able to contest it and force a miss that TK grabbed.

"Did you see that?" Ken said quickly as TK got him the ball. Everyone made their way back down to the other end. "It's like they're running the triangle."

.

"It's like they're running the triangle," Kari said.

"What's that?" Yolei asked. Ken brought the ball up and quickly dumped it into the low post to TK.

"It's an offensive set." TK dribbled a few times, then spun towards the baseline in a whirl and laid it up before help defense could get there. "It's extremely complicated, no way they're actually running it...but it looks like it."

"What's that mean?" Yolei watched Roka bring it up.

"Well, it's not the actual triangle, it can't be. But it means this team must be smart. To run something that even sort of looks like the triangle...all that off-ball movement, all those sets, these guys have to be smart."

Roka again ran a set that involved constant ball movement, weaving from the wings to the post to the corners. Notably, the point guard didn't constantly control the ball. As soon as the ball got up to the top, it became everyone's ball, and everyone touched it. The small forward got it on the wing, dribbled into the corner, got it on the low post to the power forward...and then, Davis lagged on defense just a step, and the shooting guard penetrated into the lane open. The power forward got him the ball, and he laid it up over Luke's outstretched hand.

"This is gonna be interesting." Kari looked around the gym. It wasn't a far ways away from Rakunan, but they were certainly in Roka territory. This region loved their high school basketball, and always showed up to cheer the team on.

Ken brought the ball up, surveying the defense. TK ran up and set a pick on Ken's right side, and Ken took off around him. As soon as TK's man shaded over to get in front of Ken, TK spun and ran towards the basket. But his defender did a good job of backing up with the play, staying between Ken and TK to prevent an easy pass-and-score while also keeping Ken from easily getting to the basket.

TK went right, trying to put space between himself and Ken to force his defender to commit. He went to Ken and Ken bounced TK the ball, only for the opposing center to immediately D him up. TK peeked over and saw Luke had moved away from the basket to make room for TK on the block, too far away to be a threat to score even though he was wide open. TK tried to loop underneath his defender's right arm and scoop it up, but the center swatted it away.

"Any second now." Kari looked at the bench. "We're going small. Cross your fingers Yolei."

"Wait, why? What are you watching that...tells you all this. Are you psychic or something?" Yolei leaned away from Kari.

"It's hard to run an offense against a good defense when your center doesn't score," Kari said, looking at Luke running down the court. "I know Ken saw that. They protected the paint and just let Luke stand wide open on the baseline because they know he won't score from there. They need to go small for a bit."

A second later, as Roka scored on a drive-and-kick three from the left corner, Quincy stood up from the bench and moved to kneel next to the scorer's table.

"You're lying. You're psychic." Yolei looked at her friend carefully. "What am I thinking about right now."

"...how I'm psychic," Kari deadpanned.

"I knew it!" Yolei called out.

.

"Alright guys, space the floor!" Ken called out. It was ten to eight Roka, four minutes left in the first quarter, and Roka had just thrown a pass out of bounds, allowing Rakunan to sub during the dead ball. "Loosen up their defense, make them pay!"

TK inbounded to Ken, and the offense set up. Ken controlling the ball on the left wing, Derrick in the right corner, Davis on the right wing, TK on the left low post, and Quincy in the left corner. TK glanced behind him at the center. He was still maybe an inch taller than him, but he certainly put more effort into defending and denying him the ball than most power forwards. TK pushed back against him, fighting to stay close to the basket, as Ken looked around.

Ken drove a few steps into the paint, then swung it back out to Davis, who had gotten open for a second when his defender had moved to stop Ken. The rotation came quickly, and Davis hurled it into the corner to Quincy. TK winced and got ready to rebound the shot...but Quincy simply dumped the ball down to TK on the post.

TK caught it, leaning back slightly with the ball in both hands. He spun away from the baseline and dribbled into the paint, his man staying between him and the basket. Suddenly, he stopped on a dime and rose up to simply lay it in the basket, the defender sliding past him via momentum.

"There we go!" Ken called out. "That's how you do it!"

Roka brought it up, TK wincing at the sight of Quincy defending their power forward in the low post. Sure enough, they quickly got it in to him.

TK bolted over and blocked his ability to turn away from the baseline, while Quincy shuffled over to keep him from turning baseline, trapping him in a double team. Davis came over to stand between the center and the ball to prevent the easy pass for a wide open layup.

He wiggled around a little bit, trying to find a way to get rid of the ball. Finally, he tried to lob it back to the top to the point guard, but Ken easily read the pass and picked it off. He took off, a one-on-one fast break. Using his speed, Ken ran ahead of the opposing point guard and sprinted down the right side of the lane. He swung the ball behind his back, causing the point guard to rather foolishly try to dive in the path of the pass, only the pass never came as nobody was even there to receive it. Ken swung the ball back up and laid it in easily.

Roka ran the exact same play, attacking Quincy repeatedly. Once again, TK had to come over to double team the power forward when he caught the ball. This time, Davis was slightly slow on his rotation, and the center was wide open to catch the pass and lay it in.

"C'mon Davis!" Ken called out, holding his left index finger in the air and spinning it around as TK inbounded it to him.

Rakunan took it up, Davis, Derrick and Quincy all running through the paint at once at various angles, the defense scrambling to keep up. Ken got it over to the left wing into Derrick's hands, who dumped it into the post to TK. As soon as TK started dribbling, he saw the point guard running in to try to swipe at the ball, so he tossed it back to Ken charging into the lane. Ken rose up like he was going to shoot over the rotating defender, but then swung it into the right corner to a wide open Quincy. Quincy rose up and shot well before any defenders could rotate over, but the shot bounced off the far side of the rim to the Roka center.

TK mentally groaned. He had so hoped the first one would go in.

.

Ken dribbled to the free throw line, using his body to shield the ball from his defender, then tap passed it backwards to the right wing to an open Quincy. Quincy, without hesitation, rose up and shot it so hard off the backboard it didn't even hit the rim.

TK pursed his lips from the bench. Ken had subbed in Luke for TK, giving the alternate smallball lineup a chance. Quincy was now zero for five from three and Roka was up 33 to 26 with four minutes left in the second quarter.

"Wasting possessions," TK grumbled to himself. He knew Ken was making an extra effort to get Quincy as many shots as possible, and it was now starting to get in the way of the team winning. He looked over at the coach, who remained seated, watching.

Roka continued to run their fast, complicated, movement based offense that was difficult to defense. This time, they got Rakunan to rotate into a mismatch, Derrick trying to defend their small forward, and he simply shot over him for a twelve foot jumper that went in.

"Timeout," Stewart called to the referee. The whistle blew and both teams went to their benches. "Alright, let's go back to the starters for the rest of the half. Pick and pop."

The five walked onto the court, the coach having nothing else to say.

"So...how about that-" TK started.

"Quiet," Ken cut him off. "You know as well as I do that, eventually, it'll become a statistical improbability for him not to break out of his slump. And then we're golden."

TK smirked. "Yes. But it's a statistical probability that, by the time he does break out of his slump, I'll have graduated."

"Why don't you go whine at Davis. He's zero for four, y'know." Ken pointed at Davis with his thumb.

"I know Davis will make up for it," TK answered. "This guy, I dunno."

A minute later, Luke inbounded to Ken, and the Rakunan offense pushed it up. Immediately, TK ran to set a screen, and Ken utilized it. TK saw his man spreading wide, and ran to the opposite side as Ken hit him with a pass. In a vacated area, free of defenders, TK rose up for a fifteen footer that went in off the backboard.

Roka continued their organized chaos style of offense, everyone moving, the ball swinging back and forth from player to player, trying to get a mismatch or confuse someone enough to get open. It was not particularly fun to guard. The Roka shooting guard managed to shake Davis loose running across the lane, then caught a pass and turned to streak back to the basket.

TK left his man at the last second and ran over, leaping to block the shot just as it left his hands. He shoved it back towards the top, where Ken grabbed it and turned to look up the court. Immediately, he hurled up thirty feet down to where Marcus could run in front of it. Marcus had taken off as soon as he saw the block, and had nobody around him as he caught it, took two steps in, and laid it in.

Roka called for a pick and roll, TK's man coming up to set the screen on Ken. TK made eye contact with Ken, then immediately fully committed to the point guard on defense. Both of them getting right up to him, swarming him, forcing him to pick up his dribble.

Unfortunately, just before they could close the trap completely, he wormed the ball out to the now wide open power forward, who caught and shot a six foot jumper that swished through.

"We were close on that one," Ken assured TK as Luke inbounded the ball to him. "Close."

Ken called for another pick and pop on the other side, TK running up to set the screen. This time, when Ken made the turn, TK lunged towards the basket to make it look like he was rolling before running out to the side. The defense bit on his fake and once again nobody contested his fifteen foot jumper that went in.

With fifteen seconds left on the clock, Roka pushed it up, swung it around, then tried a corner three that bricked off the side of the rim at the buzzer. Halftime.

.

"Man, what are you doing? The normal lineup is fine, we're fine!" TK insisted, staring at Ken.

"We can't afford to be behind the curve! They're going to come out at half refocused on defense. They're not scared of Marcus scoring, and they're definitely not afraid of Luke scoring. Heck, they're not even really afraid of me scoring."

"Well, one more bricked three and they're not going to be worried about Quincy scoring either," TK said dryly. "This is a mistake. We're fine."

"Once they adjust to the pick and pop, it's gonna be ugly. We need Derrick and Quincy out there to spread the court." Ken leaned in slightly. "Marcus is a nice stopgap, and I'm happy he's here, but you know he's just a decent role-player. We're not going to reach our potential with him."

"Well, at least he doesn't waste possessions. That's what Quincy shots are at this point." TK looked around furtively.

"We stick with the normal lineup, we lose." Ken glanced up at the scoreboard. "Do you wanna go down swinging or not?"

"I'd rather not go down at all." TK leaned back against the bench. "Fine. But you're gonna get it if this doesn't work."

"Stay the course," Ken said adamantly. "I'd rather lose a few games now and be better later."

"You're just saying that for damage control after Quincy goes zero for thirteen." TK shook his head. "Alright genius man. Stay the course."

.

"This is getting ugly," Kari said throatily.

Quincy had just missed yet another three, this from the left wing, the ball barely hitting the rim and bouncing to a Roka player. Roka was up sixty nine to sixty with five minutes left in the game.

"Why does he keep shooting?" Yolei scratched the top of her head, looking around at the crowd, which was getting ready to explode next basket.

"Ken wants him to," Kari said. Roka ran a post-up play, but TK jumped in front of the pass and snatched it. "He wants him to break out of the slump."

TK got it up to Ken, and Rakunan took off before the defense could get set. Ken dribbled down, slowed up like he was going to stop and set up the offense, then no-look passed it underneath the basket to TK, who rose up and scored.

"I don't get it. If it's not working, it's not working." Yolei looked at Ken retreating on defense.

"Ken knows more about basketball than me...but I'm not sure he's right on this one." Kari shifted around in her seat.

Roka brought the ball up, taking their time and letting the small forward dribble around at the top to take the clock down. Suddenly, he took off and drove past Davis, Davis shuffling his feet to keep up, trying to herd him towards TK so TK could help on defense. The small forward pulled up a step inside the free throw line, Davis running right by him and being completely unable to contest the shot, which banged off the backboard and went in.

"C'mon...C'mon..." Kari said through gritted teeth, looking at the bench. "They have to go big."

But no timeout came, and TK inbounded the ball to Ken. Ken quickly took it up, Davis immediately running through a double screen as Ken crossed half-court. He emerged on the right side, wide open, and Ken got him the ball. He spun and shot, just a hair behind the three point line. Swish.

Six point game, four minutes left.

"What's he waiting for?" Kari said to herself. "We need to go big."

Once again, Roka used as much of the clock as they could, then got the ball on the post to their power forward. Quincy was outmatched defensively, so Ken immediately came down to double team and prevent a post move to the basket. The Roka point guard took the opportunity to to bolt down the other side of the paint, receive the bounce pass from the doubled power forward, and rise up for a layup. TK managed to jump in front of the play and contest the shot enough to force a miss, but was called for the foul.

.

TK looked at Ken as the players set up on either side of the paint for the first free throw. Ken looked back, then looked at the bench, signalling to Stewart.

A second later, the Roka point guard missed his first free throw. Immediately, Luke stood up from the bench and walked onto the court, signalling to Derrick to exit.

TK glanced at Quincy, standing on the other side of the paint from him, still in the game. He wanted to sneer, but deep down he knew it was definitely the right move on paper.

On paper.

Roka hit the second free throw, and Luke immediately grabbed the ball, stepped out of bounds, and threw it in to Ken. Again, Ken led the offense up quickly, pushing to the top of the three point line. TK immediately fought for low post positioning, and Ken got him the ball. The moment TK caught the ball, he spun baseline and got a layup in over the outstretched fingertips of the center. Five point game.

Roka continued to play it slow, trying to protect their lead. They took the clock down to three minutes, then a few seconds more...finally, the ball got dumped into the center on the low post, who immediately swung it into the corner for a decent looking three. The ball rolled into the basket, but rolled back out after dipping halfway down. Unfortunately, the odd roll of the ball caused it to bounce right to the shooting guard on Roka, who got the ball back to the top with a fresh shot clock.

TK groaned to himself. Bad luck. They wouldn't get the ball back until there were two minutes left.

Again, Roka used as much of the clock as they could, finally sending the power forward up to set a screen with seven seconds left on the shot clock. The point guard dribbled around the screen, then saw he had some open space and rose up for a three. The ball bounced off the back of the rim and went to TK, who pushed it to Ken.

Both teams sprinted down the court, frantically trying to set up. In a flash, Ken whistled the ball underneath the basket to Luke, open. He jumped up to throw up a layup, but the opposing power forward got over and swatted at his arms as he went up. The shot was well off, and the whistle blew for a foul.

TK saw Luke stand there for a second, then turn around and head to the free throw line. His eyes were wide. He looked terrified. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath after he got to the line, then turned around to catch the pass.

TK stood on the end of the paint, watching Luke dribble a few times. He felt bad for him, but they needed him to make at least one of these.

Slowly, he stopped dribbling, held the ball in both hands, and shot it at the basket. It was a terrible looking shot, flat and straight, almost like a pitch in baseball...but it hit the back of the rim and rattled in.

TK pumped his fist and pointed at Luke. "You got this!"

Luke caught the ball from the referee and did the same procedure. This time, the shot hit the front of the rim and bounced into the paint, and TK was blocked from the rebound by the body of the center. Timeout, Roka. Just a shade under two minutes left.

"Come on, come on!" Stewart shouted over the crowd, which took the opportunity during the time out to loudly cheer on their hometown Roka Knights. "We're fine! They're using the clock on every possession! Let's get a stop, get the rebound, and we got plenty of time! We run everything through TK on the low post! Get a two or a three, just make it a good shot! We have time for both!"

The team clapped and walked back onto the court.

"I'm getting you the ball as soon as you get position," Ken said to TK as they walked back on the court. "You know they're doubling. Make the right play."

TK nodded as the whistle blew. Roka slowly took it up, again making use of every second possible. As TK defended his man on the low post, he did the math in his head. They'd get the ball with around a minute and twenty seconds left...shouldn't take any more than twenty seconds for them to get a shot...they get the ball back with a minute left, Rakunan can take over with twenty seconds to win or tie...no margin for error. He winced.

Finally, Roka got it into the low post against Luke, who stopped the double move and contested a hook shot that missed badly. TK grabbed the board and pushed it up to Ken, again taking off.

Dutifully, TK got down on the low block and fought for positioning against his man. Ken got him the ball, and TK held it between both hands with his back to the basket, thinking. A second defender quickly came to take away his spin move. He glanced up and saw Quincy, wide open, on the wing. His defender had left him wide open to double TK. TK's stomach flipped around. He wasn't getting a good shot against this double team, and Quincy was the only good play on the court right now...it was the only way.

He pivoted around like he was going to try to go baseline, then threw a pass behind him to where he knew Quincy was standing. He didn't really want to look, but he ended up spinning back around in time to see Quincy rise up for the shot, no defenders around. After the shot left Quincy's hands, he spun around, seeing that he was already being boxed out by his defender and had no chance of grabbing the offensive rebound.

The ball bounced off the front of the rim, smacked against the backboard, and bounced out to Roka's small forward. TK grimaced, but held off on a more physical reaction. He instead took off towards the defensive end.

Roka continued to use all the clock that they could, whittling it all the way down to about forty seconds. This required no special math. They'd have to get a stop, score quickly, then foul and hope for the best.

The Roka center came out to catch the ball on the left wing, then immediately whistled it into the lane to the point guard. Ken was just a step behind and the point guard got up a six foot floater in the lane. Luke came over to swat at it, but he missed it and ended up smacking the point guard's arm. The shot flew in, and the whistle blew for a foul. The crowd went nuts. Now it was over.

TK went over to Ken, who had fallen down on the shot, and reached down to help him up.

"Can't say I didn't try," TK said, grabbing Ken's hand and helping him to his feet.

"No I can't," Ken agreed. "Good job."

"Yeah..." TK watched the Roka point move to take his one free throw.

.

"C'mon Ken. I'm not even all that mad." TK said, seated on the floor, legs crossed in front of him. "I'm not trying to embarrass you, just admit you were wrong. I just wanna hear you admit it."

"I'm not wrong," Ken said flatly, sitting on the desk chair and writing some stuff in a notebook. "I never guaranteed immediate results. What I can say is that, by doing this now, the probability of us being able to make, and do well, in the end-of-year tournaments goes up considerably, and that's what I want."

"We lost by seven points. Quincy had eight wide open threes in that game, and he clanked all of them." TK stretched his legs out in front of him. "C'mon, do the math. I took the blame for the first loss, the least you can do is admit Quincy cost us this game. If you gave _me_ eight wide open threes in a game, I'd make at least one of them."

"I concede Quincy's play was the primary reason for the loss," Ken hissed. "But I do not concede that I am wrong about him, nor that I am wrong about playing him."

"That's not how the paper would say it," Kari said, sitting on the bed with her feet dangling off the edge, holding an small newspaper open in her hands.

"I really don't care about the school paper," TK said dismissively.

"People read this thing. It shapes their views and opinions. It does, trust me." Kari flipped the page on it. "I mean, the guy writing this doesn't know a thing. We lost the game, TK only had sixteen points and eight rebounds, clearly something is wrong with TK!"

"Do they mention Quincy?" TK leaned up towards the paper. "At all?"

"A little bit," Kari answered. "Look, these guys are simpletons. If we win, the star players get the credit. If we lose, the star players get the blame. In this case, you. They don't even stop to think why your numbers were low. All they see is a loss and a star player who played below his averages. Quincy's a footnote."

"You should write for the school paper," TK pouted. "Drop some knowledge in there."

"I doubt they'd let me." Kari closed the paper. "So yeah, school this week might not be fun for you."

"Since when is school fun ever?" Davis shrugged from the corner of the room. "It's school."

"Well, more than usual. I'd rather take on a big mountain of homework than a bunch of kids asking me if there's something wrong with me." TK looked at Ken. "And it's not gonna stop unless we start winning again."

"If it makes you feel any better, Max Preps understands." Ken cleared his throat. "Saw an article on there this morning on how defenses are constantly throwing double teams at you and catering their whole defensive gameplan to stopping you. Said that it's a testament to how good you are, and it's the fault of the rest of the team that we can't make defenses pay for it."

"What a relief," TK said dryly. "Seriously though. I might not love people bugging me about how great I am, but it sure beats people bugging me about what's wrong with me. This Quincy thing needs to start paying dividends soon."

"Soon is a subjective measurement," Ken replied coolly. "Soon could mean the next few minutes or the next few years depending on context."

"Well, I mean soon as in, before I either quit the team or drop a hammer on my foot so I can't play anymore," TK said warningly. "I already bought the hammer."

"It's like I said." Ken pointed at TK. "Focus on your game. I'll get Quincy going. Trust me. I'm smarter than you."

"Sometimes I wonder," TK scoffed.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

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First, I just want to say thank you to all my supporters on this story so far. I really wasn't sure what sort of fanbase to expect in a story like this, and I'm glad I was able to attract so many people, and that so many people like what I'm writing.

One thing I want to say, just in case it changes the viewpoint of any of my readers, is that I do not intend to stop this story after one season. This may already be obvious, but I do have every intention of continuing this story beyond this one season.

Also, I'm currently not engaging in any dialogue with anyone reading my story, like I'm used to. I generally like to keep my finger on the heartbeat of my fanbase as I write, be it through reviews or chat dialogue. So I encourage all my readers to continue to review my chapters, and if you feel up to it, contact me either through PM or via the chat programs I have listed in my profile. Any thoughts you have on the story, likes and dislikes, things you'd like to see, things you don't understand...anything. I'd like to hear it. So don't be afraid to review or contact me, I appreciate all of it. Even if I do something you don't like, I don't mind hearing it. It's good for the progression of the story.

Onward!

.

"Why do you keep reading that rag?" Kari asked. TK was seated on the edge of her bed, holding the school newspaper open in front of him. Kari was laying prone on her bed, feet resting on the pillow, looking up at him. "It's a written article, no matter how many times you read it it's not going to blame Quincy for the loss."

"It's motivation," TK said simply, a serious expression on his face. "This week has not been fun, and I don't want a repeat of it. I couldn't go a single day this week without someone bugging me at school. Today some douche came up to me after first period, asking me if I needed someone to do my homework for me so I could focus on my game more."

"He was probably joking," Kari said dismissively.

"Well, I didn't appreciate it. Every day this week, people asking me if I was...having family problems, girlfriend problems. Asking if the start of the season was a fluke. It's not like I even played badly last week, but...I mean, one thing goes wrong, and everyone's all over me. I don't know if they even know Quincy's on the team!" TK closed the paper. "I'd rather deal with affection than scrutiny."

"You sound primed for tomorrow," Kari said.

"I'm bringing full clips tomorrow." TK folded the paper up and threw it on the floor. "I am not dealing with another week of stupid questions because of a loss that isn't my fault. We're not losing tomorrow."

Immediately, Kari swung around so her legs were in front of her and slid off the bed. "Why don't you sleep here tonight? On the bed. I'll take the couch. You could go to bed now if you want to."

TK peeked at the clock. "I got a ton of homework this weekend, I should probably start something."

"I'll help you this weekend. Don't worry, you just get to sleep." She turned and walked towards her bedroom door. "It's fine, I'll help you get it done."

TK nodded as she left the room, closing the door behind her. She quickly skipped over to the couch, leaping over the backrest to land on it, then reached over to grab the phone off the end table.

She quickly dialed a number and pressed the phone to her left ear. After a few rings, there was an answer at the other end.

"Hey Ken. TK's in a serious zone right now. I can tell, he's feeling it. Feel him the ball tomorrow." She rolled over so she was looking up at the ceiling. "I know about the Quincy thing, but I'm saying, make sure to use TK constantly. He's feeling it." She shifted the phone over to her right ear. "Trust me. Make sure he gets the ball. You can get Quincy his shots too, but you're gonna want to ride TK tomorrow." She reached down to pull her socks off, then grabbed the blanket on the end of the couch and unfurled it over herself. "I know that sounded wrong, but you know what I mean. Just use him. Alright. See you tomorrow."

.

"Don't take me out today," TK said, hands on his hips, standing next to Stewart by the bench. "Just trust me. Leave me in."

Stewart raised an eyebrow. "TK, you know you're gonna get minutes, but everyone's gotta take a few minutes off here and there-"

"Not today." TK held his hand out at Stewart. "Trust me. With how I feel today, I can go all thirty-two minutes. Move me to center, heck, move me to small forward, but do not take me out."

Stewart looked at him very seriously. "If I see you getting too tired out there to play defense or set good screens, I'm pulling you whether you like it or not."

"That won't happen." TK turned towards the court. "Trust me."

He walked onto the court, turning to the bleachers between the two benches and waving to the assembled home crowd.

"This is new," Ken muttered in his ear as he came up around half-court.

"Trying something different," TK said through gritted teeth.

A moment later, the jump ball went up and Luke tapped it back to Ken. Immediately, TK went down to the low post, and fought for position against today's matchup. Shiba's power forward was as tall as TK, and seemed to weigh more as well, mostly through muscle mass. TK had to push hard just to hold his spot on the low block.

Ken got TK the ball on the block, and out of the corner of his eye TK saw the opposing center come over to double. Without a hesitation, TK spun towards the baseline before the center could get over, and got up a quick shovel shot. Shiba's power forward stepped over to bump him out of bounds, causing the shot to miss but also drawing a whistle from the referee. Two foul shots.

TK clapped his hands a few times on his way up to the free throw line, spinning around and holding his hands out for the ball. The referee got it to him, and he nailed the first for the first point of the game. A moment later, he sunk the second. The crowd applauded as Rakunan went back on defense.

Shiba took it up and immediately tried to get the ball into the power forward on the low post as well. TK swung around so he was standing between his man and the point guard, preventing a pass while also pressing his body up against him so he could keep track of him in case he tried to move.

His man fought to try to get in front of him so he could get the pass, but TK didn't give, expertly getting position to prevent an entry pass. The point guard stood there holding the ball, looking rather stupid, then glanced over to the other low block. Luke was doing an equally good job of preventing any kind of pass, fronting his man and using his strength.

Finally, the point guard simply shuffled it off to the small forward in the corner, who tried a three over the defense of Marcus that was well short. TK grabbed the rebound and threw it to Ken, who took off. As everyone else ran down the court, TK jogged up, eyes on Ken.

Ken stopped at the top, holding his hand up like he was going to call a play. Meanwhile, TK crossed the half court line, slowing to a walk. His man was ready to pick him up on defense when he got to the free throw line, standing there and waiting.

A step before the three point line, TK accelerated to a sprint and Ken squeezed him the bounce pass just before he got to his defender. TK spun around while dribbling, going right by his surprised defender, then took two large steps into the lane before picking up his dribble and going up for the layup.

The center came over and swatted at the shot, succeeding only in slapping TK's hand after the ball went up. The referee whistled for another foul as the ball went in. TK pumped his fist, then turned to walk to the line.

.

"You can always tell these things," Kari said sagely as TK hit the free throw. "I could tell last night that TK was going to be playing like a man possessed today."

Shiba brought it up, again trying to get the ball into the post against TK. And once again, TK fronted his man and kept the pass from happening. Finally, the power forward ran out towards the left corner to catch the ball, turning around a good sixteen feet from the hoop.

He spun back around as TK came up to press against him, slowly backing TK down. He was stronger than TK, but TK fought hard, not giving any more space than he absolutely had to. With the shot clock starting to dwindle down, all he could do was spin around and try a fadeaway jumper from twelve feet, with TK's hand in his face no less, that fell short. Somehow, TK spun around and leaped up to grab the rebound even though he also contested the shot. He held onto the ball for a second, then got it to Ken as the teams moved down the other way.

"Possessed. An animal." Kari looked around at the crowd surrounding them. "Aggressive, assertive."

TK went to the left baseline, about eleven feet from the basket, and Ken got him the ball. TK looked up at the basket, then spun so his back was facing it and started to back his man down. Immediately, the center came over to double, the two defenders keeping TK from going either direction towards the basket. TK went to his right and then held the ball up like he was going to throw the ball to Marcus on the right wing. Marcus's defender, who had moved about halfway between Marcus and Luke, bit on the fake and ran back to Marcus, so TK simply threw an overhead pass under the basket. Luke caught it, fumbled it, but regained it in time to lay it up before the defense could collapse on him.

"Wish he'd do this every week. We'd never lose," Yolei absentmindedly pulled at her hair.

.

Quincy stood up from the bench, Marcus taking his spot. TK didn't say anything, nor look at Ken or Quincy as he entered the game. He just stood there, sweat running down his cheeks.

Two minutes left in the first quarter, Rakunan up twenty to eleven. Shiba wasn't prepared for TK to come out the way he had, but they had managed to stay in it. They were a good team, well-rounded, and they would definitely be heard from before this game was over.

"Good start guys, just keep it up, we're on track," Stewart said, keeping his speech simple.

The whistle blew, and a second later, Shiba was inbounding and dribbling up against the Rakunan defense. The point guard didn't waste any time, taking off into the lane, Ken hounding him the whole way. Luke came over to double as he approached the basket, and the entire defense started to rotate. The point got it over to the center, who spun around and threw it into the corner to the small forward, who got it back up to the top to the open shooting guard. He rose up for the three, swishing it through, cutting the lead to six.

Luke inbounded it to Ken. TK knew that Ken was going to try to answer back with a three, and he knew it was in his best interest to get Quincy going early. Which could only mean one thing.

Ken dribbled around as the offense set up, then drove towards the right side, blowing past his defender. TK saw the chess pieces move. Quincy's man slid over to help on Ken, Quincy was wide open in the right corner, and Ken passed him the ball. Quincy rose up, shot, and the ball bounced off the far side of the rim. TK spun around his man, leaped under the basket, and grabbed the rebound. He faked a shot, pulled the ball back down as his man leaped to block the shot that didn't happen, then went up and shot it as his man came back down to earth, swatting at his shoulders as TK laid the ball into the basket. Whistle, foul, three point play. The crowd stood and cheered loudly. TK turned to them and smiled, giving a wave and a fist pump before heading to the line.

"Finally enjoying the attention?" Ken murmured as TK spun around at the free throw line and waited for the referee to pass him the ball.

"Well. I can pretend," TK said slyly, as the opposing power forward reluctantly walked towards the bench, to be replaced by a smaller and weaker looking player. "Do you see what I see?"

"Get ready to feast," Ken said, turning around and walking to half court.

.

"C'mon TK, you've been going at a hundred miles an hour the whole half!" Stewart cried. "You're scoring almost every other possession! You're doing great, we're fine, we can live with you taking two minutes off before halftime."

"I'll rest during halftime," TK insisted. "Don't take me out. This is far from over."

Rakunan held a thirty-nine to thirty-two lead. Shiba had adjusted to a perimeter based game when it became clear that TK wasn't going to let anything happen underneath the basket today. Rakunan scored, but Shiba was hanging around.

"You look exhausted! C'mon, we can hold the fort for two minutes." Stewart turned towards his bench.

"I can rest during halftime. I got this," TK said with finality.

"You're crazy. You're gonna collapse when this game is over." Stewart shook his head. "Alright, go get em, but don't make me regret it! Let's go small, TK at center!"

The lineup hit the court.

"Man, you're insane." Ken whispered into TK's ear as the crowd started to cheer even louder.

"You need me out here," TK answered, grabbing the ball from the referee and walking to the side of the court. "So I can bail you out after you set up Quincy for another brick."

He inbounded the ball to Ken, who turned to face the basket and started to dribble. TK was immediately doubled, two men crowded him in the paint to make a pass impossible. Ken only had to drive a few steps to the left to draw the defense, then feed Quincy on the right wing for a wide open three. Quincy rose up and shot it, the shot going too long by just a couple inches and bouncing out. But somehow, TK rose up between two guys, tapped the ball back up towards the basket, and swished it through.

"See what I mean?" TK said to Ken on his way back up the court. Ken shook his head and smiled.

Shiba brought it up, the point guard getting it over to the shooting guard, who drove on Derrick and pushed into the paint. TK came over to help, but before he could close the double the shooting guard promptly shuffled it to the center, who had no one around him as he laid it up for the easy basket. TK grunted as he grabbed the ball, stepped out of bounds, and inbounded it to Ken.

Ken took it up, then quickly got it to TK on the right elbow. It was the only way TK could get the ball before being double teamed by the defense. TK looked up at the basket, holding the ball in both hands. His defender was a few steps back, waiting for the drive. He saw the center and shooting guard both shading towards the paint, waiting for him to make his move so they could swarm him.

TK looked around for a second, waiting, then simply rose up and shot it. Nobody was close enough to where he was to contest it, and could only watch it fly through. He saw the power forward wince in frustration. They had been so worried about him getting to the basket, they forgot to defend him where he actually was.

TK made sure to wave to the crowd again on his way back down, sparking further cheers from them.

"Feed him," Davis whispered to Ken on the way down the court as Shiba took it down. "Feed him until he's fat."

Shiba didn't waste any time, immediately having their point guard drive down the lane to the basket. Ken managed to stay in front of him and forced him to pick up his dribble about four feet from the basket. He rose up to shoot over Ken, but TK leaped over and smashed the shot back towards halfcourt.

The crowd went wild as Quincy grabbed and awkwardly started to dribble down the court, the shooting guard falling back to try to stay in front of him. Quincy got to the left wing, then threw a bounce pass to TK, who had immediately chased the shot he just blocked to be involved in the fast break. All the shooting guard could do was lamely try to push on TK as he went up for the layup. The foul was called as the shot went in.

TK turned around and started to pound his chest with his right fist, then raised that fist towards the crowd.

"I like the new TK," Ken said as Davis walked past him.

.

"Have I disappointed you yet?" TK asked, looking around at the bench. "No, don't pull me now, I'm taking us home!"

"Come on, TK, you've lost five pounds of sweat today." Stewart looked at the bench. "You can come out for two minutes, then I'll bring you in for the last three. You can take us home!"

"No, I'm fine!" TK said. He was indeed covered in sweat, but he didn't appear slouched over or out of breath. "Five minutes left, I can go for another five minutes. I'm fine."

Stewart shook his head. "You better be fine. Alright, go get em."

Ken immediately went over to TK as the team retook the court. Ken, Davis, Quincy, TK, Luke.

"Dude, you can take two minutes," Ken said quietly. "We're not gonna be down on you for taking two minutes off. You've played the whole game, that's crazy enough already."

"I got this," TK said, finality in his voice. The crowd's cheers went up a few dozen decibels as they saw TK re-entering the game. He waved to them. "Plenty of time to sleep when I get home." He shook off the sweat on his face. Ken covered his face with his hands.

"Okay, that's gross. Seriously, don't do that." Ken shook his hands off. "Ew."

TK looked up at the scoreboard. Five minutes remaining. Rakunan sixty-eight, Shiba sixty. They wouldn't go away.

The whistle blew, and crunch time began. Shiba inbounded it from underneath the far basket, and they slowly took it up.

The power forward ran up to set a pick on Ken, and TK came up to follow the play. The point guard used the pick, running to the left and forcing Ken to fight through the body of the power forward. TK waited, and finally the power forward ran the opposite way of the point guard for the pick and pop. TK ran out to him as he caught the pass.

TK got his hand up and played good defense, but he shot the ball anyway. It ended up bouncing off the backboard and rolling in. Good defense, better offense.

Luke inbounded it to Ken, who walked it up the court with the rest of the offense. As soon as he got to the top, he got it to Davis on the right wing. Davis dribbled around, and TK ran up to set a screen on the left side of his defender. Davis went to the left, his defender running underneath TK. Davis suddenly stopped, a step inside the three point line, and rose up for the open shot. It banged off the back of the rim, then rattled home.

"That's a new one!" TK called to Davis as they retreated on defense.

"Expanding the old skillset." Davis got down into a defensive set.

Shiba got the ball into the low post against Luke with a dangerous pass that was almost slapped away by Luke. The center went to work, spinning left, then coming back right, then spinning back left for the hook shot. Just before the shot left his fingers, the referee blew his whistle and spun his arms around in front of him, then pointed the other way. Travelling. Rakunan ball. The center went up to the referee to complain, but it didn't change anything, and a moment later Luke inbounded to Ken.

As soon as TK got to the low block, he was double teamed, one man in front of him and one man behind him. They weren't even pretending to be worried about Luke, simply having the center and small forward shade a little bit towards him so they could foul him if he caught a pass.

TK ran out and set a screen on Ken's defender, being chased by the power forward. Ken used the pick, and TK went out to the opposite side for the pass. As soon as he caught the pass from Ken, the power forward ran up to tightly defend him from the elbow. TK dribbled to the right, being clumsily guided toward the base line, where the center was waiting to double.

TK rose the ball up like he was going to try to shoot it with his right hand, right where the center was in a position to block it, then pulled it back in and spun the other way as his two defenders leaped. He wormed his way past his defender to the left and got the shot off. It was too hard, and bounced off the backboard and went to the left side of the basket, but TK managed to run underneath it and grab it. He pump faked as the center came over to defend his second shot attempt, then spun and did a hook over him that swished through.

TK sucked in a long drag of air, then ran back down the court.

"How you feeling?" Ken asked on the way back down.

"I can't feel my legs. Don't tell anyone," TK answered, turning around in the paint and waiting for the offense.

Shiba simply dribbled up straight into a three pointer that banked home, getting maximum points in minimal time. Seven point game, a little more than three minutes left.

Ken took it up, the crowd on their feet and clapping in unison. This time, Ken used the full amount of the clock, dribbling it down to eight seconds. Then, in a burst, he flew towards the basket, dashing into the paint, chased by the point guard as the center collapsed on him. He passed the ball around the back of the center to Luke, who immediately spun and threw it to Davis along the left baseline. Davis rose up for a fifteen foot jumper and swished it through. The crowd voiced their approval loudly.

"You wanna sit yet?" Ken asked TK with a smirk as they fell back down the court.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna," TK answered, getting back into the paint.

Shiba dribbled up quickly, and Ken wasn't at all prepared for the point guard to once again stop behind the three point line and hurl up another three. It swished through. No matter what they did, Shiba wouldn't go away. Six point game and the point guard nearly had a fireball blooming out of his butt he was so hot.

"That's why I'm not sitting," TK said snidely to Ken as Luke inbounded the ball.

Ken brought it up, again milking the clock. TK was hard-doubled on the post, Luke was left partially open...same stuff. Ken finally got the ball to Davis on the right wing, and TK went up to set a screen on Davis's man like before.

Davis went left, and this time his man went over the top of TK's screen, so he could stay close to Davis and prevent an open shot like last time. TK spun and ran towards the basket, Davis throwing an overhead pass to him eight feet from the basket. Immediately, three people swarmed TK, boxing him in from every direction and trying to get him to give up the ball.

TK looked over the crowd and saw Quincy, wide open in the corner, left by the defense. He mentally sighed for a millisecond, but finally relented and lobbed it over the center's head into the corner. Quincy caught, rose up, and fired.

Bottom. Nine point game. Crowd went crazy. Timeout, Shiba.

TK raised both of his hands into the air as Shiba meekly ran to the bench. Quincy smiled to himself and pumped his fist a few times as he skipped to the bench.

TK's legs felt weak and his chest started to burn, but it didn't stop him from running over to the far bench to smack Quincy on the back. He had still missed his first six threes, but...he had just sealed the hard fought victory.

"When we get the ball, just use the clock. As long as we use the clock and hit our free throws, the game is over!" Stewart shouted. "Get the ball into Davis's hands, let him shoot the free throws!"

"Wanna sit out now?" Ken asked, smiling broadly.

"I'm already this close to a full game," TK said, panting. "And I feel fine, really. Let me take it home."

"Alright! Get out there and wrap it up! Don't turn it over! They're not gonna be able to catch up unless we give them the ball back!" Stewart waved out towards the court. "Take it home!"

"So how long have you been possessed by a WWE wrestler?" Ken asked, looking at TK's sweaty form.

"Maybe if I give them a little of what they want, they'll leave me alone," TK said, waving to the crowd again. "Besides. Getting blamed for something that isn't my fault gave me newfound respect for positive attention."

The whistle blew, and Shiba dashed their offense up. Immediately, they got the ball to their shooting guard, who drove into the lane against Davis and went up for a little five foot floater.

TK flew over from the right low block and smashed the shot back, sending it flying all the way into the stands, landing in the lap of one of the students in the second row. The crowd went completely nuts, whooping and roaring at the display of defense. TK couldn't help but raise his fists into the air and take a few steps towards the crowd, nodding.

.

"Out like a light," Kari said. TK was laying stomach-down on her bed, eyes closed, torso rising and falling slightly with his breathing. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, running her fingers through his hair. "Got here, took a cold shower, then just went to sleep."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Ken walked into the room, followed by Davis. "He was out of his mind today. Running on pure adrenaline by the end."

"Where were you guys?" Kari asked, crossing her legs in front of her.

"Well, big win, we wanted to spend some time with the guys. Especially Quincy, you gotta encourage this kind of stuff." Ken glanced back out of the room.

"As soon as the game ended, TK nearly fell asleep on the spot," Kari said thoughtfully. "It was adrenaline at the end, nothing more. What were his final numbers?"

Davis looked around, an excited smile on his face. "You're not gonna believe it. The tracker had him at forty-three points, seventeen rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a steal."

"That's monsterous." Kari nodded.

"Freshmen don't put up those kind of numbers." Ken sat down on the bottom edge of the bed. "It's insane."

"Don't wake him up," Kari said, waving her hand at Ken. "Let him sleep."

"He made sixteen of twenty-one shots, and eleven of thirteen free throws," Davis added. "Got the whole front court of Shiba in foul trouble by the end. "I'm sure Max Preps will cover it soon."

"He sure enjoyed himself today, didn't he?" Ken said. "Was actually pretty fun to watch."

"So, you think this Quincy thing is gonna work out now?" Kari asked, lightly stroking TK's back.

"I don't know. It was a big shot, but it was one shot. I mean, if I shot a hundred threes blindfolded, and I mean me, I'd make one just by probability." Ken shrugged. "But sometimes, all a shooter needs is to see the ball go in once."

"I'm just gonna enjoy it. He came through for us, we won, everyone's happy...I'm just gonna pretend there's no issue with him for a week." Davis leaned up against the far wall of the bedroom.

"Guess we may as well leave," Ken said, looking down at the sleeping TK. "Don't think he'll be up for doing anything the rest of today."

"Yeah...and I should start doing his homework. I have a feeling I'll be doing all of it." Kari grimaced.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

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"Well, I'm really proud of you, honey," Nancy said, slicing a sliver off from her slab of steak in front of her. "And I'm really sorry I haven't been able to make it to any of the games yet."

"It's fine," TK replied. The two were seated at the dinner table, enjoying a rare meal together. "You're busy. And besides, it's really not your thing. Dad hasn't seen any of the games yet either."

"I'll try to make it to some games in the next couple months," Nancy assured him. "I might not be...the biggest fan of organized sports, but I can watch my son play basketball." She glanced down at the piece of sheet paper on the table to her right, placing her finger on it. "TK took over the game, against a very good team, simply through force of will. He was constantly double teamed and still found ways to score, be it through offensive rebounds and putbacks, midrange jumpers, and sometimes even scoring against those double teams. He disrupted Shiba's frontcourt by drawing foul after foul. He snatched every rebound he had a chance at grabbing. It was a dominant performance, and we continue to believe we've found something really special in the freshman power forward. Did this seriously get published to the internet?"

"Yup," TK said. "It's pretty...pretty great. It's something else."

"And he continues to show skills that make us believe he'll translate well into the game of college basketball-"

"Mom!" TK yelped. "Not you too!"

"Well that's what it says," she said, pointing at the paper. "In the article. I'm reading it."

"This is...come on mom, it's crazy. You know it's crazy to even be talking about this right now. I'm fourteen years old. It's crazy to even think about it. I get enough of this stuff at school," TK stabbed at his steak and used his fork to rip a piece of it off.

"Well, there's a reason why people are saying it," Nancy said. "You're only fourteen years old, but look at what you're doing already. It's a definite possibility."

"I don't-I don't even wanna think about it right now." TK shook his head. "I mean, I'm tall for my age, but there's no such thing as a six foot power forward in college basketball, so let's just...I don't see it happening. I don't expect to grow much more. I've had my spurt."

"Alright, alright." Nancy smiled. "We'll see in three years. I'll make it to a couple games during the second half of the season, I think I'll be able to get some saturdays off soon."

"You sure you don't wanna use them on Martin?" TK asked snidely.

"Oh, don't worry, I see him plenty. Maybe I'll get him to come too. He's nice, you know, you should meet him a second time. We've gotta start spending more time together." Nancy went slightly red. "Martin's great, and trust me, he'll make every effort to make you like him if you give him the chance. You always want to make your girlfriend's child like you."

"Yeah, I'm willing to meet him," TK said. "Bring him by, we'll get to know each other."

"Honey, I know you have a nice relationship with your father. There's nothing wrong with that at all. I want to make that clear. You can have a good relationship with your father and Martin at the same time without feeling bad about it."

"Yeah, I'll give him a chance." TK grabbed his water glass and took a sip out of it. "They're working you hard at the office lately."

"It's voluntary," Nancy explained. "Until this place hires me full time, I get time-and-a-half for overtime, so I'm gonna use it. I'm closing in on forty, you know. Gotta think about retirement, not to mention your college tuition." She paused. "Although, if you could pull down a full-ride to play basketball in America-"

"Mooom!" TK exclaimed. "C'mon!"

.

"Man, I'm not saying anything bad about you today," TK insisted, sitting next to Quincy on the bleachers. "Yeah, you had your problems. But we won, you sealed the game with a shot, so I'm not saying a thing."

"Good," Quincy said. "I'm glad you're happy."

"I'm glad you found your stroke. It's gonna help us a lot." TK looked out at the rest of the team, haphazardly running around and shooting jumpshots. "Really."

"I don't know about that," Quincy replied slowly. "We will see."

"Hey, positive thoughts. Seriously. You just hit the game clincher in a very important game for us, may as well be positive."

"TK's trying this new thing," Ken said, walking over toward the bleachers. "It involves being positive and cheerful. I kinda like it."

"I am all about trying new things," TK said. "But only when they're warranted. Yes, I am happy that we won a game and I didn't have to score every single basket down the stretch. I enjoy being able to spread the wealth around. I appreciate me being able to draw a triple team, then hit a teammate for the open shot that he nails. I enjoy such things."

"Alright guys!" Stewart called out, clapping his hands a few times. "Gather around!" The team milled over to him. "Good win on Saturday boys, good win! Now, we're gonna have a hard week of practice. This week, we've got to travel near a hundred miles, and we'll be visiting another bona fide superstar in Rokugo High. Luke, you've got your hands full this week. This Larry Ledger fellow, we've all got our hands full. A six foot _seven_ senior center. Weighs two hundred and fifty pounds. An absolute giant. This is the kind of guy that winds up in the NBA one day. He's fast, he's got some good post moves, he's strong...and he is staking his claim on Japanese high school basketball this season. He's been the best player in the country so far this season. And we're going to his house. This is one of four non-district games we play this season, so let's cook up a good showing. Ken, you got his numbers?"

Ken stepped out of the huddle circle into the center. "Through fourteen games this year, Max Preps has his numbers at thirty four points, eighteen rebounds, two assists, five and a half blocks, and a steal a game. Those are _averages_. Nobody can stop him. He's a freight train. He's hitting seventy percent of his shots. If there was any justice in the world, he'd be in college right now, there's no question he's ready for it already. Our only hope is to stick him on the free throw line, he's shooting below forty percent from there. If we can force him to shoot a lot of free throws, we might be able to zap his confidence. It's the only way to come anywhere close to stopping him."

"Now, as I'm sure you all already know, their offense runs through Larry almost exclusively. They get him the ball on the low post, he scores, lather rinse repeat. He's surrounded with shooters, so if you double-team him, somebody gets an open shot. So, the gameplan is simple. We don't double." Stewart looked around. "Luke, when you're in the game, you play defense on him straight up. If he scores on you, so be it, you just do what you can to make him work for it. Do your best, we'll live with the results. I don't want doubles. Steve, when you're in the game, you hack the crap out of him." He pointed at Steve. "When you're defending Larry, and he catches the ball, you foul him. Foul him hard so he can't make a shot. Send him to the line, make him earn it the hard way. Vincent, you too. Heck, everyone on the team."

"Offensively, we'll play smallball a lot," Ken added. "Larry protects everything from fifteen feet in, so the only way we can score reliably is by shooting threes. Derrick, Davis, Quincy, you guys need to get ready to shoot the lights out. If we can hit a lot of threes, we might be able to keep up with Rokugo." Ken pointed at TK. "Buddy. We love you, but this week is not gonna be your week. After what you did on saturday you deserve to enjoy the reduced minutes."

TK nodded.

"It's the only way. This guy can dunk at will, but dunks are only worth two points. If we hit threes, we can keep up. But we have to make them," Ken finished.

"Alright, so, just so you're all aware. Starters remain the same, but we're going smallball with Luke for a majority of the game. Ken, Derrick, Davis, Quincy, Luke, prepare for major minutes. Jason, Marcus, TK, Vincent, Steve, nothing personal, but you guys won't get much burn this week. When you are in the same, use your fouls. If Larry gets the ball in his hands, go down and foul him. You've got six fouls, may as well use them."

.

"This is not fair," Davis said quietly. The three boys were gathered around the laptop screen, watching a grainy and shaky video of assorted highlilghts from Rokugo games. Larry caught the ball on the low post, stood there for half a second, then spun baseline and rose up for a thunderous dunk before anyone could react.

"That was just bad defense," Ken said. TK and Davis both shot him sarcastic glares. Larry emphatically blocked a layup attempt back towards the foul line, ran up to grab it, and sprinted down the court like a gazelle while dribbling it. Three Rokugo offensive players charging towards the basket against one defender. Larry threw a pass to his right to his teammate, who immediately threw it back to him, and Larry dunked so viciously right over the defender he was sent careening ten feet out of bounds.

"He could go play in the NBA right now. People shouldn't be able to do this sort of thing." TK rubbed his chin in awe.

A Rokugo guard missed a three, the ball bouncing off the back of the rim. Larry rose up, grabbed it, and dunked it powerfully in one smooth motion.

"Well, just be grateful you're not gonna have to deal with it very much," Ken said. Larry had just taken two massive steps from underneath the basket, jumped into the air, and blocked a shot from the right elbow all the way back to half court to end the video. "You understand, right?"

"Man, my legs are still sore from saturday and it's already thursday. I understand, and I'm grateful. I will gladly sit on the bench and watch him score eighty points." TK reached down to grab his thigh. "I can't score on this guy. I'm not stupid. Nobody could score on this guy. Now, putting our fate in the hands of Quincy-"

"Hey, come on now. He made his last shot, that's gotta count for something." Ken nodded. "You don't beat Rokugo without getting lucky anyway, so we gotta roll the dice."

"Oh yay, he made one shot," TK said sarcastically. "We're playing the best player in Japan, and quite possibly the best team in Japan, and I'm going to put my faith in a guy who made one shot."

Kari slid the door open, peeking her head into the room. "Hey, Luke and Derrick are here."

Ken jumped up. "Alright! Let's have some fun tonight!"

"Yeah yeah, just remember, this is my apartment," Kari said seriously. "My parents are already a little uncomfortable with me having a bunch of boys over when they're not home. So don't break anything or leave a mess. They're only okay with it because they trust you three to manage the situation."

"Yes, yes, and we appreciate it." Ken nodded. "Everything will be fine. TK, go and meet your loyal subjects!"

"Oh come on," TK reluctantly got up. "It's a team sport."

"Yes. And you are the king of the team, and they are your subjects." Ken pointed at the door. "Now go."

"I get enough of this at school," TK sighed. But he walked over to the door and went out of the room with Kari all the same.

"Alright! It's the fourty three point man!" Luke called out, putting his hands to his sides. "Or that's what they're calling you around campus these days. I know you've heard it!"

"Hey Luke," TK waved as he walked towards the center of the room. "Man, enough about me, this week is all about you. You're going up against a super hero. Dunkman, with the power to dunk."

"I don't know what coach is thinking. Hardest game of the year, and he wants to cut your minutes?" Luke shook his head. "That isn't cool."

"He's thinking," TK said, sitting down on the couch. "It's the right move. Nobody is scoring on Larry in the post. I can try all my fancy post moves, he's too big and strong. And I sure as heck can't stop him on defense. So I may as well not play since there's no point in even trying. That's not the winning strategy."

Derrick shrugged. "Man, alright. We'll do you proud."

There was a knock at the door and Kari ran off to answer it.

"Well, whatever happens, we're doing great." TK clicked his tongue a few times. "It's gonna be tough. I hope you guys are ready to make it rain from behind the arc."

"We gotta be perfect," Luke agreed. "You know how I am, and even I...I can't even begin to imagine stopping this guy. He's a tank."

Kari came back into the room holding a stack of pizza boxes.

"Quincy's here too," she announced, as the backup small forward entered the room via the hallway, right behind her.

"Hey! Quincy!" TK raised his hand into the air. "You ready for saturday?"

"Always ready," Quincy replied easily. "Will shots go in? I don't know. Better question, are you ready for student rally tomorrow in gym?"

"Oh!" TK dipped his head into his hands. "I keep forgetting about the stupid rally!"

"If you're not there I'm gonna stab you," Ken said, opening the top pizza box, then closing it before moving it to the side. "We all have to be there."

"Ugh. Am I gonna have to say something?" TK whined. "I'm gonna have to talk in front of them aren't I?"

"Yes! If I have to, so do you!" Ken continued checking pizza boxes. "Just get up there and say something positive, then sit down."

"Can I get my brother to go instead of me?" TK asked. "I can get him and his band to play a set, they'll love it!"

"Be there or I'll whoop you," Ken insisted. "You guys like some repugnant stuff. Jeez."

"You eat seaweed!" Davis snapped, pointing at Ken. "And squid! Together!"

"Seaweed and squid are good," Ken replied coolly. "Sorry your taste buds are still eight years old."

.

TK sat back on the bench, frowning, left leg resting on his right knee. Quincy had just bricked a three, and Larry snatched the rebound. That was Quincy's third missed three, and the first quarter hadn't ended yet.

Rokugo sprinted down the court after Larry got it to a guard. Luke sprinted down to the low post, ready to immediately pick up Larry down low. However, Rokugo's point guard simply lofted the ball up towards the rim when Larry was still around the free throw line. Larry took two big steps toward the basket and jumped, soaring through the air and reaching for the ball. There wasn't anything Luke could do but get out of the way as Larry grabbed it and slammed it home.

The crowd went beserk. He could do it a million times, and they'd never get sick of watching him do it. Luke definitely looked flustered.

Ken brought it up, the clock dwindling down near the end of the quarter. He got it over to Davis, and Quincy came over to set a screen. Davis used it, and his defender made the mistake of running underneath the screen, leaving Davis open for a wing three that he swished in as the buzzer sounded.

TK looked up at the scoreboard. HOME - 25, AWAY - 11. Two things had definitely proven true so far. First, it was impossible to stop Larry. Second, it was hard to get open shots from three when one man was basically defending the entire twelve feet around the basket.

"Come on! Come on!" Stewart yelled. "We're fine! We're fine! Let Larry get his points!" The crowd was still going bonkers, and it was all Stewart could do to yell over them. "Single-team Larry, don't let anyone else get going! That's the gameplan! We're executing the gameplan!"

TK rolled his eyes. Larry was on his way to scoring sixty points, and executing the gameplan meant nothing if Rakunan didn't make their threes. Some logical part of his brain recognized that everything he said was true, but still.

"You seem unhappy," Ken said, sounding rather chipper as he sat down next to TK.

"Can't imagine why," TK murmured.

"Come on, it's not that bad!" Ken said. "Hey, look at this this way." He pointed at Quincy, "zero for three," he pointed at Derrick, "zero for two," and then pointed at Davis, "one for three. If we had hit our threes, we would have been fine that quarter!"

"What great news!" TK said sarcastically. "After all, I have tremendous faith in Quincy to hit all his threes for the rest of the game. I mean, I have every reason to believe that." TK glanced behind him, Quincy standing in a line at the water fountain.

"Oh yee of little faith," Ken said. "Don't worry, it'll work out. We have to believe in the gameplan."

"I don't believe in anything that involves letting the other team's star player score eighty points," TK said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's the right move," Ken said.

.

"Why is it the right move?" Yolei asked, watching the players sit on the bench. "You're letting their best player do whatever he wants, how is that smart?"

"If they double and triple team him, he'll just pass it out and get teammates wide open shots. So now instead of one person scoring a lot, everyone is scoring a lot. As bad as it might be with Larry scoring every time, it'd be worse if everyone on the team got going. Plus, at least Larry doesn't shoot threes." Kari looked tenative inspite of her words. This wasn't working.

"Well, it sounds great in theory, but this is getting bloody."

The two teams walked back onto the court, Rakunan inbounding from underneath their own basket.

"If they lose, they lose. But they have a gameplan, and they want to stick with it." Kari didn't sound particularly convinced herself, but nodded all the same. "It's the right move."

Quincy came over to set a screen for Ken, and Ken promptly used it. Ken darted left and Quincy went right, both defenders following Ken. Ken kicked it over to Quincy, who rose up and fired...off the front of the rim, bouncing to Larry.

Kari winced. "Here it comes."

Rokugo ran their offense up, setting up with Larry on the low post. To everyone's surprise, Larry ran up and set a screen on Ken.

The Rokugo point guard used the screen, Ken fighting underneath the massive mountain of teenager that was Larry Ledger. Luke ignored the point guard, focused only on stopping Larry from getting anything.

Larry spun towards the basket and took off, the point guard immediately bouncing the ball to him as he took off. Luke backed up, holding his hand up as Larry rose to the basket.

Luke jumped at the same time and got his hand on the ball. It didn't matter. Larry was too strong. Inspite of Luke's best efforts to slap the ball back towards the free throw line, Larry held onto it, pushed it past his hand, and slammed it home. Had Luke had a longer arm, Larry would have probably shoved Luke through the basket as well.

Bedlam in the crowd. Kari and Yolei crowded together to avoid the tangle of arms as everyone else stood up to cheer.

"There it went." Kari whispered to her friend.

.

TK ran over and bearhugged Larry, drawing a whistle from the referee and sending Larry to the free throw line.

"This isn't what I'd call good defensive form," TK said to Ken as they passed each other by.

"It's keeping us on life support," Ken replied. "Keep doing it."

TK stood on the right low block as Larry squared up a free throw. His form was terrible, worse than Luke's. The ball was a linedrive to the basket, it seemed almost impossible that it ever went in. The first free throw banged against the front of the rim and bounced harmlessly to the court.

Larry shook off some sweat, then grabbed the ball again for the second. Again, it was almost a baseball pitch, and it bounced off the back of the rim toward TK's side. He grabbed it and got it over to Ken.

Fifty five to twenty nine. Life support was the right choice of words. TK jogged up, not at all eager to meet Larry underneath the other basket. Ken used the clock, getting it down to about twelve seconds left in the half.

Then he motioned for TK to come out for the pick. TK complied, setting the screen with Dennis on his tail. Ken used the pick, and a second later, TK bolted to the basket. Ken got him the ball, but TK was immediately swallowed up by the defense of Larry.

TK went up like he was going to try to shoot it over Larry, and got his defender high into the air. He had him! He pulled the ball back in, swooped underneath him on the right side, and threw up his shot-

Blocked. Somehow, on the way down, Larry got his other hand out there and swatted the ball away.

As Larry got the ball and pushed it over to his point guard, TK stood there stupidly for a second. How did that happen?

He snapped out of it and sprinted down the court, but it was too late. Larry was several feet ahead and had a full head of steam. The Rokugo point guard flipped the ball up at the basket, bounced it off the backboard, and Larry leaped up to powerfully dunk it off the bounce with less than a second left in the half.

The crowd. Holy crap, the crowd. TK stood at just inside half court, glancing up at the scoreboard. Sometimes, all you could do was laugh.

.

"So, this was fun," TK said dully. Both he and Ken were seated on the bench, leaning back and only half-focusing on the game. It was now ninety to forty eight with a few minutes left in the fourth, and Rakunan had long since conceded to playing the bench.

"Hey. We came in with a gameplan, and we stuck through it." Ken sipped from his water bottle. "That counts for something."

"Yeah, well, that gameplan let Larry score sixty three points," TK said. "I'm not even kidding, by the way, I checked. That's literally what he has."

On the court, Quincy threw up a corner three that bounced off the back of the rim and out.

"Come on, we could have done better than this. At least a little better." TK took in a deep breath. "You guys do need me."

"Hey, it's not just Quincy!" Ken said. "Davis went three of twelve, Derrick went one for six, it all adds up!"

"Well, that's what happens when you play a pure perimeter game. You can't get an open shot because the defense camps out there." TK looked over at the crowd, having long since quieted down. "And while all that may be true, Quincy went zero for ten. I checked that one too."

Some Rokugo backup point guard dribbled off his foot and the ball rolled over to Jason. Jason picked it up and scooped it over to Derrick, who ran down the court against a scrambling defense. Derrick went into the lane and two defenders closed on him, so he turned around and threw it to Quincy, wide open on the right wing. He rose up, shot it, and swished it through.

"Oh, yaaaay!" TK said dryly. "One for eleven. Crown em!"

.

"Did your lack of playing time on saturday's game against Rokugo stem from the fight you had with Coach Stewart during practice this week?"

TK looked up from his sandwich. "What? What fight? What are you talking about Dennis?"

"There were rumors circulating that you and Coach Stewart had a fight during last week's practice." Dennis wrote some notes down in his pad of paper. "And-"

"No! No, there was...there was no fight. Who started that rumor. You?" TK glanced around furtively. "No fight. Nothing even close."

"TK, is there a personal issue at home for you, maybe with your family or girlfriend?" Dennis asked.

"If there was, then it it would remain personal," TK grunted. "And no."

"Were your low minutes due to sickness? An injury? Are you injured and hiding it?" Dennis continued to ask.

"No! No. I didn't play very much on saturday because that was the gameplan." TK took a bite out of his sandwich violently. "Our plan was to shoot threes and single-team Dennis, and I couldn't be a part of that gameplan, so I didn't play much."

"TK, you'll excuse me if I find it impossible to believe that any Rakunan Wildcat gameplan could possibly involve not using their star player," Dennis said condescendingly.

"Well, I don't excuse you," TK said. "There is no excuse for you. Now go away!"

"TK, I'm just trying to write an article for the paper." Dennis leaned forward. "Are you going to give me the truth, or am I gonna have to slap together a fluff piece?"

TK looked at Dennis for a few seconds, then took another bite out of his sandwich. "I've converted to scientology, and scientologists believe it's bad karma to play more than fifteen minutes in a basketball game that takes place on a day immediately following the full moon." He waved at Dennis. "Now shoo."

Dennis glared at TK for a few seconds, but pushed himself out of the chair across from him and left.

"You do realize he's going to write about how you're falling apart and killing the team now, right?" Ken said, swooping in with a lunch tray to sit next to TK.

"How?" TK asked, mouth full. "I barely played!"

"He'll cook up something. The school reads that paper, you know. They read an article that's worded well, and they'll eat it up." Ken picked up a fish stick. "Ew. Freaking cafeteria food."

"Where's your lunch?" TK glanced over at Ken's tray. "You know the cafeteria sucks."

"Some dog ate it on the way here." Ken glanced across the table. "Big dog."

"Man, I'm a high school freshman and I'm already dealing with the media," TK lamented. "It's a stupid school newspaper, I shouldn't have to worry about this kind of stuff."

"Ugh!"

TK spun around to see Kari just before she slammed her lunch bag down on the table next to TK and fell into the seat.

"Stupid Lindsey!" She spat.

"What's wrong?" TK asked.

"Lindsey! She met me outside the lab and tried to interview me for the paper. Asked me if you were sick, or hurt, or were falling apart...and when I didn't answer she kept following me. Asking over and over and over-"

"I'm getting a lot of that too," TK muttered.

"Well, get used to it." Ken leaned in. "Before you guys even ask, nothing changes."

"Oh come on!" TK whined. "You could make the hoop big enough to drive a truck through and he'd still miss it. Ken, I know it sounds great in theory, but the guy doesn't have it. His three two weeks ago was a fluke, and the sooner we admit that, the sooner we can move on."

"There's nothing to move on to," Ken insisted. "We're twelve-and-three, we can afford to lose a few games in order to establish an identity before the tournaments."

"We had an identity." TK's face darkened. "I posted up, Ken handled the ball, Davis shot off screens. What was wrong with that?"

"It's not enough. And you know it." Ken picked up a chicken strip from his tray, blanched, and set it back down. "We were losing to Rokugo no matter what, I think you know that. Stay the course. Our concern right now is Luke."

"Poor guy," Kari commented, reaching into her bag.

"He tried his heart out, and he got destroyed. Like, vaporized. Eviscerated. His confidence has to be sagging. We need to tend to that." Ken pointed at TK. "We'll make sure we hang with him this week, let him know everything's fine."

"Everything's not fine," TK said snidely. "We're running our offense through a shooter who can't shoot."

"Just be ready for next week." Ken poked at a lump of meatloaf on his tray. "You know what? Forget it." He stood up from his seat and grabbed the tray. "I'm going to the biology lab and seeing if they're growing anything I can eat."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

.

"It's mind boggling to me, how ignorant people can be," TK said, looking the newspaper article over. "I mean, it's always about me! It can never be more complicated than that. We win, we lose, it comes back to me. Quincy gets one sentence in the footnote. It's like these people don't know a thing about-"

Kari wrapped her arms around TK's chest from behind him. "Shush," she said quietly. "Stop reading those papers."

"It doesn't really matter if I read them or not. The school reads them!" TK folded the paper up and threw it to the floor. "They eat it up! It's like they don't watch the games, or if they do they don't actually understand what they're watching!"

"C'mon, don't worry about what they think, it doesn't matter." Kari pulled TK down so they were both laying on the bed. "Your teammates understand, your coach understands, and Max Preps understands, and I understand. What else matters?"

"Yeah, that's all great, but I'd really rather not deal with that crap," he pointed at the newspaper, "all things being equal. Seriously, I promise to never complain about positive attention again, just...knock it off with this junk."

"They'll forget all about it after the next game," Kari comforted, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.

"Will they?" TK frowned. "Hirata is a heck of a team. I mean, they're no Rokugo, but that's not a gimme. Don't tell me there won't be lingering worries from that stomping we just took." TK glanced over at the near wall, where the team schedule had been taped. "The whole second half of the schedule is brutal! Only one of our games is against a team that has more losses than wins...even the easier games are against decent teams. We could lose any of these games if we don't bring it. They'll turn on us just as fast as they warmed up to us."

"Well, you'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen." Kari wrapped her legs around his waist.

"It's not in my hands."

"Yes it is." Kari nodded, closing her eyes. "If you do what you're capable of doing, everything else will fall into place. You just have to believe that."

"Well, the evidence pretty strongly indicates that's not true. I can't score forty-three points every game. I mean, two weeks ago, that can't happen every week. I need help." TK grabbed Kari and rolled her over to the other side of him.

"Give your teammates a foundation to build around, and they will build it. Maybe not immediately, maybe not as fast as you would like, but it will happen." Kari uncoiled her legs.

"You think that'll happen some time this year?" TK glanced up. "I'm not trying to sound like a sore loser, but I'm not gonna have any fun losing game after game because I'm getting triple-teamed and nobody can take advantage of it."

At that moment, TK's cell phone rang, and TK clawed his way up the bed to the desk by the head. He snatched the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Hey," he said, Kari still holding him around the waist. "Now? Who else is there?" He rolled over to look up at the ceiling. "Well maybe I don't want to hang out with him right now." Kari crawled up him so she was wrapping her arms around his stomach. "I just don't think it's a very good idea. Yes, I am sort of mad at him, can you blame me?"

"Oooh TK, come back to bed, I'm coooold..." Kari moaned. TK reached down to cover her mouth with his left hand.

"Fine. Fine, I'm coming. Yes, I'm sure I'm not so mad that I'll punch him." He hung up the phone. "You're a dork, you know that."

"What did he want?" Kari asked as TK set the cell phone on the desk.

"Arcade. Quincy's there, Davis's there, Yolei...I don't want to see Quincy right now, but Ken says it'll be good. Says it'll help." TK rolled off the bed, leaving Kari laying there. "C'mon, let's go."

.

"Gah!" Davis yelled, as Zangief didn't get up from Vega's throw, ending the final round of the match. "He was so close!"

"Maybe the machine is rigged to give an advantage to Player One," Yolei suggested. "Ken, why don't you play Player Two?"

"Won't work, I've tried it," TK huffed, coming up to join the group. Ken and Quincy were standing at the machine, and Davis and Yolei were flanking it. "I've tried everything!"

"TK! You're here, great, come here." Ken waved him over. "I need to talk you. Next up!"

He stepped to the side, TK following him, until Ken ducked into the hallway that lead to the restrooms.

"Dude, I'm not going to punch Quincy!" TK said through gritted teeth. "You don't need to ask."

"It's not that. I ran into Jason today, he's not happy." Ken looked around.

"Well yeah, we just lost by forty points, of course he's not happy. I'm not happy!" TK said. "So what?"

"This is deeper than that," Ken shook his head. "He was barely tolerating our game plans when we were winning. He made it pretty clear that, as far as he's concerned, I'm out of good ideas and it's time to go back to Jason Isolation. We gotta turn this thing around, or Jason's going to start gunning for his."

"Then tell coach to bench him," TK said.

"We need him," Ken responded. "He's an important cog on this team. I can't do that."

"Why are you telling me this? It's not my fault. I can't do anything about it. I just go out there and play my game. There's one person on this team who can do something about it, and you know who it is." TK glanced over his shoulder at the game console.

"I'd rather not put more pressure on him. I'm not saying do anything about it, just wanted to make you aware. Davis knows too. Not a word to Quincy." Ken glanced over at the machine. "We could really use a win this weekend,"

"Yeah, well, I'm getting hard doubled on nearly every single possession now. Off the ball! Either Luke's out there and they leave him to defend me, or Quincy's out there and they leave him to defend me. Kinda hard to impact a game when two people are following you around all game," TK sneered. "So you'll excuse me if I claim that it's not under my control."

"Right. Don't worry, it'll work out." Ken patted TK on the back. "It'll work out."

"Well, while we're waiting for it to work out, I'm taking constant abuse from the rest of the school. Can you believe they find a way to blame me in a game where I barely played? Where the gameplan didn't involve me?" TK shook his head.

"Heavy lays the crown," Ken said. "You're the star player, this is what comes with being the star player. Now let's go have some fun." He walked past TK towards the machine.

"Fun?" TK repeated. "After last saturday, the last thing that sounds fun right now is losing over and over in a game." Nevertheless, he followed.

"Alright, let's see if TK's learned from my advice." Ken stepped up to the left side of the console, and TK reluctantly went to the right. "Ready?"

"Alright...alright..." TK looked around the character screen. "Guile it is."

"Shield your eyes, lest you pick up bad Street Fighter habits from TK!" Davis called out as the match started. Immediately, Ken bounced off he far wall and swooped in to stab at TK.

"Shut up!" TK hissed. "I'm better than you."

"So what? We both get vaporized by Ken," Davis said as Vega threw TK before he could react.

"At least I can hit him sometimes!" TK said through gritted teeth, launching a sonic boom that Vega blocked.

.

"So yeah. We're this close to a mutiny." TK leaned back on the couch, slumped over, watching the television. "High School basketball is not supposed to be this complicated! This isn't what I signed up for!"

"Sit up, that's bad for your back," Kari answered from the kitchen. TK grunted, but scooted back nevertheless. "Nothing's ever simple when you're dealing with a group of people, TK. You're talking about ten people, many of whom didn't even know each other before this fall, trying to come together to work as a team. You have skillsets, egos, expectations...it's never going to be a perfect fit."

"Well, you think things are ugly now, you just wait until Jason stops playing team ball." TK grimaced. "It's gonna be comedy. It's gonna be so awful, it'll be funny."

Kari ran over and sat down heavily in TK's lap. "Well, you can't let that worry you. You go out and do what you do."

"That stuff you said about...a foundation. You build it, they come. I don't know if it's that simple." TK looked around. "The foundation is there, it's been there, and they're not building around it."

She cozied up next to TK. "Come on. All you need to do is win a game, and you and everyone else will forget all this bad stuff. You can get away from the negativity and get back to having fun."

.

TK scowled, pivoting around as the double-team closed in around him. He glanced up at the basket, immediately abandoning that thought as both of his defenders blocked his path to it, then faked a pass to the wide open Luke to draw a defender before throwing Quincy the ball on the right wing. Quincy rose up, open for the three that bounced off the front of the rim and fell down to a Hirata player.

"Not having fun," TK hissed to Ken as he ran back up the court. It was the second quarter, three minutes left, and Hirata was starting to build up steam. They were a team constructed to have four elite shooters on the court with one center. And once they started hitting their shots, things got out of hand. Well, the shots were starting to fall. It was Hirata 38, Rakunan 31.

Hirata dumped it in to the center, who posted up Luke and started to dribble. Meanwhile, the man in the right corner came out and ran around a screen on the right wing, in order to pop out open at the top. TK fought through the screen, but he wasn't in time to contest the shot, which rattled through the basket.

The crowd was dead silent. The ten point lead felt like a fifty point lead, and they couldn't bring themselves to get excited for anything.

"Fickle fans," TK grunted as Luke inbounded it to Ken.

Ken dribbled it up, then got it to Davis on the right wing. Davis had been on fire so far today, the only reason Rakunan was even in the game. TK ran up and set a screen on Davis's man, and Davis used it. Davis's man went over the screen, anticipating the shot, but Davis simply kept on going right to the basket when nobody moved to stop him. In a very rare trip for Davis to underneath the basket, he laid it in.

"The defense is now completely ignoring Luke _and _Quincy," TK said to Ken as they ran back down. "It's like they're not even there, this is hopeless!"

"That'll make it even sweeter when Quincy starts making his shots," Ken muttered, getting down into a defensive stance. TK rolled his eyes, then ran back into the paint.

Hirata dribbled around, then the point guard picked up his dribble and tried to throw it into the left corner. TK, however, had jumped out on the man there, and was blanketing him. The point guard froze, then tried to find the man TK had left open, but in his moment of confusion Ken ran forward and poked the ball away. Ken took off down the court, moving over to the left side, only one defender to beat.

Ken rocketed down, the point guard scrambling to stay ahead of him. Just inside the free throw line, Ken threw it over to TK, who had chased the play down. He caught it and laid it in before the point guard could get over to him.

TK couldn't help but pump his fist. Finally, easy points.

Hirata took it up, the point guard calling for a screen. The center ran up to give it, and as Ken fought underneath it, he rose up for a three.

Bang. It was like working to slowly dig out of a hole, then sliding all the way back down to the bottom.

Ken took the ball up, and TK was immediately swallowed up on the low block by two defenders. In frustration, TK ran up to the left wing, all the way past the three point line, just so he could get open to catch the pass. Ken threw it to him, and he turned around.

Nothing there. A man right in front of him, another hovering around the basket, and a third defender lingering, waiting for TK to make a move. He threw it back to Ken, then ran towards the basket, going around his man and luring the defense over to him.

Ken took the opportunity to throw it over to Quincy, who had been left open in the right corner. Another shot, another miss, another Hirata rebound.

TK glowered for a brief moment, then ran down the court. It was pulling teeth for Rakunan to even score, while Hirata was a hot streak away from scoring twelve points in two minutes. It seemed impossible that they could even keep it close, much less win.

TK chased his man into the left corner, where he got the ball and faced the basket. TK crouched down, waiting...and then, he simply rose up and shot it from behind the three point line. TK mentally cursed himself. He wasn't used to defending shooters, and had given his man too much space to get a shot off. He spun around in time to see the ball go in, and Stewart immediately called for a timeout.

.

"Yeah, still not fun," TK said, looking at the seat to his left where Ken was sitting. "You having fun? I'd like to borrow whatever fun you are currently having, just for a few minutes."

"Knock it off," Ken said, as Jason drove into the lane, right into two defenders, then tried a fadeaway jumper that got blocked back up the court. "You must understand, I'm not used to being wrong, much less _this_ wrong, so it will take some time for me to come up with the proper response."

"So you admit it?" TK asked. Hirata had used the block to generate a fast break that resulted in a layup. Seven minutes left in the game, Hirata up by eighteen, and Stewart had already waved the white flag.

"So far," Ken replied. "I mean, I didn't think it would be this bad."

Jason again dribbled into the lane, then pulled up for a seventeen-foot jumper with a hand in his face that barely grazed the front of the rim before bouncing out of bounds.

"So now can I punch him?" TK asked. Quincy ran back down the court on defense. "I mean, nothing to lose and it'll make me feel better."

"I didn't say we were giving up." Ken nodded seriously. "Stay. The. Course."

"You're completely insane." TK shook his head. "We may as well get Air Bud and let him shoot threes."

"Who's Air Bud?" Ken asked.

"Seriously?" TK said. "The...the dog who could...shoot the ball into the...nevermind, it really doesn't matter. What matters is, Quincy can't do it. We're better off abandoning the project and going back to the primary lineups."

"The primary lineups don't work anymore," Ken insisted.

"Marcus gets more attention from the defense than Quincy right now."

Jason drove right into the teeth of two defenders once again, trying some ill-advised scoop layup than bounced off the backboard and didn't even hit the rim.

"What's he doing?" TK spat. "Come on, how could anyone think that's a good idea?"

"C'mon TK," Ken said. "You can't panic at the first sign of unrest. We had a bad month, but we're still twelve and four with half the season left."

"We'll be lucky to win two of our last sixteen games playing like this, and you know that," TK mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"We won't be playing like this, because Quincy will open everything up for everyone else, isn't that right?" Ken said slowly.

"I'll believe it when I see it."

Jason tried to fake a drive, then pull up for a three that improbably banked into the basket.

"Yay!" TK said sarcastically.

.

TK spun around in the empty gym, ball in his right hand, lofting the ball up toward the basket and banking it in off the backboard. He immediately ran to catch it after it went through the net, then leaped up and laid it in again.

"Making up for the shots you didn't get to take on Saturday?" Ken asked, walking through the door and approaching the court. His steps echoed around the court, as did his voice.

"It's nice to finally get some shots at the basket without three defenders harrassing you." TK grabbed the ball, ran towards the free throw line, then spun around and shot a twelve foot turnaround that swished through. "I forgot what it was like to put a ball into a basket."

"You're in a decent mood today," Ken commented, grabbing the ball and throwing it back out to TK. "You read the Max Preps stuff?"

"Nope," TK said, grabbing the ball and shooting it again, knocking it down off the backboard.

"They get it," Ken said. "They released their predictions for the high school awards. Halfway point check-in, sort of. You're ranked as the best freshman in the country, and you barely edged out Tony for best power forward in the country."

"Joy." TK ran over to grab the ball, then bounced it hard a few times. "I dunno man, ultimately I just can't take this stuff too seriously. I mean, I got a good life, I got a good family, I get good grades, I got good friends, I got Kari...I can't let this basketball thing get me down too much. I mean, if I let it get to me, I'd go insane. I gotta just let it be and not let it change my mood."

"Well, that's good," Ken said, smiling. "Very healthy way to look at things."

"I mean, more than half the other team's defense is getting so close to me I can barely breathe, and somehow we can't take advantage of that situation." TK shook his head. "It's maddening."

"So I can assume you're not going to be passing the ball to Quincy anymore?" Ken asked, raising an eyebrow. "Freeze him out?"

"Nah," TK said. "I figure, if he misses a hundred threes in a row, even you'll have to give up on him. So I'll keep passing it to him when he's open, and maybe eventually you'll see what I see. But I'm done driving myself nuts trying to see what you see."

"This saturday, it's definitely a game we can win." Ken walked further onto the court, grabbing the ball as it came to rest on the court and threw it at TK.

"They're not bad though," TK said, catching the ball and running up to the basket to lay it in. "I mean, we could lose. I don't even-"

The door clicked open again, and a tall thin girl ran through it towards the court.

"TK!" she called out. "I've been looking for you!" She ran up to TK, notepad and pen in hand. "Melissa, I write for the-"

"School paper, I know," TK said quietly.

"I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions for an article for tomorrow's paper," she said, as TK turned away from her and slowly started walking towards the bleachers. "Another embarrassing loss, can we expect the play of the team to regress more, back to the levels they've been at for the last several seasons?"

"Well, both teams played hard," TK said nonchalantly, still slowly pacing away.

Melissa paused awkwardly. "...is there an off-court reason for your struggles the last few games?"

"Both teams played hard," TK repeated, sitting down on the first row of seats, not looking at Melissa. Ken watched the scene, smirking.

"Uhhh...do you have anything to say regarding your poor numbers the last two weeks?" Melissa continued to pry.

"Both teams played hard," TK said once again, looking down at the floor.

Melissa scowled, but quickly shook it off. "Any truth to the rumor of locker room tension amongst the team, or rumors of you quitting the team entirely?"

"Both teams played hard-"

"Come on, TK! I have an article due for tomorrow, you gonna help me out?" she exclaimed. "I already had to write one article on the team over the weekend without interviewing you, I'm not gonna be able to pull off a seco-"

"Yeah, I read your article," TK interrupted her. "You don't know a thing about the sport, or else you'd already know the answer to everything you're asking me. No, I'm not gonna help you out. It's your fault the school is getting on me for stuff that isn't my fault."

Melissa looked incredously as TK for a second, then turned around and slinked off.

"You're getting good at handling the media," Ken said, moving over to sit down next to TK. "Valuable skill."

"I'm starting to accept things. I was getting too angry at things that aren't my fault. So yeah. As long as we're losing, I'd like to have some fun." TK leaned in closer to Ken. "But all things being equal, I'd be having more fun if we were winning."

Ken clapped a few times. "Saturday. We can turn this thing around with one good game. Twelve and four. Twenty wins gives us an okay chance at the district tournament. Just be ready."

TK stood up. "I'm going home. Gonna do a lot of lifting this week. Gotta be strong to score on triple teams."

"You won't have to score on triple teams!" Ken called out. "Trust me! It's coming!"

"Save it," TK called back. "Save it for someone who doesn't think you're insane."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

.

TK bent down to re-do his left shoelace, standing between the rows of lockers in the bathroom.

"I hate shoelaces," he said to himself. "There's gotta be a better way to make a gym shoe."

"Nothing that would feel particularly good to wear," Ken said. "Not yet. Maybe next decade."

"This place has a...nice gym. Nice gym for a small school." TK looked down at the ground. "Man, you think...I mean, Jason, he's already jumped off the ship, hasn't he? Can you get back on a ship after you jump off it?"

"Of course," Ken replied. "We just have to start winning again and he'll come back."

It had been a quiet week of practice. Everyone had seen Jason hog the ball and barrel into multiple defenders over and over, but everyone had collectively decided to just keep quiet about it. Even Coach Stewart held back on saying anything. After all, it's not like his gameplan had fared any worse than the planned one. Things were definitely taking a turn for the worse, but it wasn't a disaster zone yet.

"That doesn't make me feel any better," TK said, standing back up. "Who knows when we'll start winning again."

"You just do your thing. You do your thing, and you'll have nothing to feel bad about. Remember, the true experts think you're the best power forward in Japan, and that's what really matters!" Ken pointed at TK.

"That's just it though," TK replied. "It's not under my control."

.

The ball was tipped backwards by Luke, flying through the air to Ken, who caught it and started to dribble it up. TK ran up and glanced at the starting lineup. Ken, Davis, Marcus, himself, and Luke. It was a simple, flawed lineup, but he appreciated it and wished it wouldn't disappear so soon.

Nevertheless, he trotted down onto the low post, the left side, and was immediately gobbled up by two defenders. One behind him, one in front of him. They were terrified of him touching the ball. TK backed a few steps away from the basket, towards the corner, and one defender stayed back to guard Luke. There wasn't much he could do. He ran back down to the low block, attracting the second defender again.

Ken bounced it over to Davis on the right wing, who called for Luke to set a screen. This time, Davis's defender did a good job of going over the top of the screen and preventing any space for Davis to get off an open shot. Luke spun towards the basket, and to everyone's surprise, held his hand out for the ball. Davis hesitated, but threw it to him as he ran towards the basket.

Luke caught it and ambled to the rim, an awkward dribbling motion that spoke volumes about his insecurity. One of the men guarding TK ran over to bother Luke as he went up for the shot. Luke's shot hit the backboard, banged off the rim, then fell back down on the right side.

TK ran in and snatched it away from the Ome center, and rose up to quickly lay it in before the defense could react.

Ome promptly inbounded and got the ball up on their own offense, the point guard immediately calling for a pick. TK came up with his man as he set the pick, mind racing with possibilities as the point guard ran around the pick, and then the power forward spun towards the basket, TK trying to balance staying between the two-

And just like that, the Ome point guard was by him, laying it up at the basket, Luke a half-second late on the contest. TK stared at him stupidly.

"He's fast," Ken said, patting TK on the back. "Very fast."

"Be ready to help," Ken said quietly as Luke grabbed the ball and threw it to him.

Rakunan went up on offense, TK again immediately swallowed into a double team. To miss shots was one thing, but not even being able to get the ball was at least a little frustrating. He didn't care that it was a testament to how good he was, he just wanted to be able to score sometimes.

Ken looked around, then penetrated into the lane. The Ome point guard was fast, however, and stayed right with him. Nobody committed to helping to stop Ken, leaving Ken without an open man to hit with a pass.

Marcus cut from the left wing into the paint, a step ahead of his man, and Ken bounced the ball to him. Marcus rose up for a five foot jumper, but the Ome center swooped in and tipped the shot away with his fingers. Ome grabbed the loose ball and took off on a fast break.

The shooting guard had the ball, only Davis between him and the basket. He raced down, faking right, then going left to get around Davis inside the paint. He went up for an easy layin, but Luke had managed to chase the play down, and swatted the shot out of bounds.

"You're faster now!" TK called out to Luke as the referee went to fetch the ball. "You couldn't have done that a few months ago! You're faster!"

"Not on the track," Luke responded.

"Well, that's because the track doesn't have a carrot at the end of the finish line. Or in this case, a basketball that needs blocking," TK said.

Ome inbounded it and tried to get it into the post, but their point guard ended up standing there for most of the shock clock and heaving a bad shot at the buzzer from the top that bounced off the side of the rim to TK.

Ken got the ball and took it up, immediately calling for a pick and roll with TK. TK ran up, not getting an inch of free space from his defender, and set the pick.

Ken used it, TK waiting for the right moment, then spun and ran to the basket. A soon as TK got a step inside the free throw line, he was doubled, making a pass impossible. Ken drove to the basket, drew Luke's defender, then swung a quick pass to Luke, who rose up and banked in an uncontested layup.

Ome slowly took it up on the other end, TK's man running up to set a pick on Ken. TK followed the play, this time ready for the point guard's burst of speed. The point guard took one step towards the pick, stopped, and then popped up for a three with the brief moment of open space.

Swish.

"So he can shoot too," TK grumbled to Ken. Ken didn't respond, but signalled to the bench. Stewart promptly called timeout, then signalled to Marcus as Quincy stood up.

TK almost said something to Ken, but decided to bite his tongue and remain silent. No point. The team slowly walked over to the bench.

"Just keep on doing what we did in practice!" Stewart said. "We're better than these guys. We need to loosen up their double-teams on TK. Make them pay for double teaming!"

With that, he broke the huddle, having nothing else to say. Moments later, the referee whistled, and Luke inbounded to Ken.

Ken turned and took it up the court. TK mentally sighed as a double team swallowed him up on the low block. He looked over at the opposite side. The Ome small forward was standing halfway between Luke on the opposite low block and Quincy in the right corner. It was patently absurd, and yet it was the logical strategy, and even worse, it worked.

Ken used a crossover to drive past his man, getting a step on him, forcing the small forward to run in to block his path. With Quincy now wide open, Ken threw it into the corner, and Quincy rose up for the shot. TK moved in closer, ready to snatch the rebound, fighting through the two defenders. As he was trying to read which way the ball would bounce, he realized that the ball had, in fact, gone right through the rim without touching it.

Swish.

"Figures," TK said to Ken on the way up the court.

"Do you ever stop complaining?" Ken asked as he dropped down into a defensive stance. "He made it, can't you be happy?"

"No, I mean, just when everyone is ready to bail on him he goes and puts one in." TK fell back on defense, waiting on the low block. He'd rather Quincy miss everything so people would give up on him than have him make one occasionally so he can hang around.

Ome took the ball up, the point guard dribbling at the top, while the shooting guard ran through a couple screens moving from right to left. TK watched him go, glanced up at the point guard, then decided to take a chance and bolted for the left wing after the shooter.

The shooting guard caught the pass on the left wing and spun, rising up to shoot it, but where he expected to see open space he instead got TK closing out on him. He tried to fire up the shot regardless, as he had already jumped, but TK blocked it back up the court for Ken to snatch.

Ken took off, the Ome point guard keeping up with him down the court. A couple steps past the free throw line, Ken swung the ball behind his back and got the point guard to lunge out towards the opposite side, where TK was running, but Ken never threw the pass, instead pulling the ball back in front of him and coasting past the defender for the layup.

TK patted Ken on the back, and then both ran back down the court as Ome ran down to inbound it.

"That behind the back stuff is deadly," TK muttered. "You are blessed with big hands, you know that?"

Ken looked down at his palms. "Yup."

Ome took it down, feeding it into the low post to their power forward against TK. The power forward waited a second, then spun around, jumped backwards, and shot a fadeaway jumper. TK got his hand into his face and did a good job contesting the shot, but it ended up banking in for the basket.

"Can't do much about that," Ken said to TK as Luke inbounded the ball.

The offense moved up, Ken immediately calling for a pick. TK ran up to set it on the right side of Ken's defender, Ken using it to blow into the lane past TK's defender.

TK spun and ran to the basket, looking up to see Quincy's defender committing to jumping in front of Ken. Ken whistled the pass into the right corner, where Quincy caught it.

TK again moved to the right side of the basket, waiting for the shot to miss short so he could grab the rebound, as Quincy rose up to fire it. But to his surprise, the ball went into the basket, rattled back and forth against both sides of the rim, then went in.

TK glanced over at Quincy for a split second, but then simply trotted back up the court with Ken, who was smirking.

"One make is a fluke. Two makes in a row is a coincidence." TK nodded firmly. "Co-in-cid-ence."

"Whatever man," Ken said.

"Hey guys," Davis said, coming up to the two. "That's two in a row-"

"Co-in-cid-ence," TK repeated.

Ome brought the ball up, Twelve-seven in favor of Rakunan with two and a half minutes left in the quarter. The point dribbled around, using the clock, then drove into the lane with Ken hounding him. Luke moved in front of him, and the point guard wrapped it around Luke to the center. The center rose up for a layup, but Luke managed to block the shot from behind him. Luke snatched the loose ball and got it to Ken, who charged down the court.

Ken slowed his charge when the fast break didn't materialize, dribbling while looking around. After several seconds, he got it to Davis on he left wing, who called for a screen from Luke. Luke set the screen and Davis used it, getting a second of open space from it, and rose up to fire a three.

The ball clanked off the back of the rim and bounced to the Ome center. Ome pushed it up, trying for a fast basket, but nothing materialized so they got into an offensive set.

After a moment of dribbling, the point drove into the lane, then kicked it out to the open small forward after Quincy ran in to help on defense. Davis rotated over, so the small forward kicked it over to the left wing to the shooting guard, who rose up for a three. Swish. Twelve-ten.

Ken brought it up, slowly dribbling around, letting seconds tick off. TK remained in the post, double teamed, unable to even get open for a pass. Quincy suddenly jogged from the right corner over to the right wing, left open by about ten feet by his man, who was staying close enough to Luke so he could run in and foul him if he caught a pass.

Ken simply tossed the ball over to Quincy, who turned towards the basket and lofted up a three before any defender could get even close to him. Again, TK fought for rebounding position, but it proved un-necessary.

_Swish_.

The whistle sounded. Timeout Ome. TK couldn't help but stare at Quincy long enough for it to be obvious, but Ken ran over to him as soon as the timeout was signaled.

"Not a word, TK. Not a word," Ken said warningly. "You don't talk to a pitcher during a no-hitter, you don't leave a blackjack table during a hot streak, and you don't talk to a sharpshooter who's on fire."

"What the hell did you do?" TK choked out. "I'm not as good at math as you, but I'm pretty sure the odds of him hitting three threes in a row in a game situation is less than one percent!"

"I didn't do anything." Ken turned to walk towards the bench. "Don't say anything."

.

TK sat back on the bench, eyes glued to the Rakunan offense being run on the far side of the court. Ken drove a few steps into the lane, then threw a pass behind him to Quincy on the right wing. The small forward, who had edged toward Ken, ran out as fast as he could to jump towards Quincy as he rose up for the shot. After Quincy released the ball, the Ome defender ended up running into Quincy on his way down from his jump. The referee blew his whistle, signaling a foul. A three shot foul-

_Swish_.

Three pointer good, one foul shot to come. TK's jaw dropped open.

"He's five-for-five!" Marcus called out, grinning widely. "Five-for-five! He's feelin' it!"

Ken ran over to high-five Quincy, followed by the rest of the team. TK wasn't sure what to say at this point. He glanced up at the scoreboard. Rakunan was up thirty nine to twenty nine with fifty seconds left in the first half.

Quincy took his free throw, draining it. Ome took the ball out from underneath the basket and ran down.

TK leaned forward on the bench as the defense set up. The ball found it's way into the post against Vincent, who was fooled badly on a fake and was unable to really contest the easy layup.

Ken got the inbounds pass, the final seconds of the half ticking off. Luke ran up to set a screen for Ken, and Ken utilized it to drive into the lane. When nobody jumped in front of him, Ken went for the basket and rose up for a layup, but the center managed to get over in time to smack it into the bleachers.

Ken ran over to the out of bounds line in front of the bleachers, grabbing the ball from the referee, then looked up at the scoreboard. A second and a half left in the half.

All the other nine players gathered around in front of Ken, then started running around as Ken looked for a pass. Suddenly, Quincy broke off from the pack and sprinted towards the far corner. Ken heaved the long pass across the court, into the corner where Quincy was heading.

Two defenders realized where the play was going and chased Quincy, a few steps behind. Quincy caught the pass, spun around, planted his feet behind the three point line in the corner, and fired up a shot as his momentum carried him out of bounds.

_Swish_.

The entire Rakunan bench went crazy, except TK, who was struck silent. The players on the court mobbed each other as they made their way over to the bench, Quincy right at the center of it. Finally, TK stood up as the crowd approached and pushed between Davis and Luke.

"Okay, I gotta ask," TK asked as the cheers died down. "Are you Quincy's twin brother or something? Because you really do look just like him."

Quincy shrugged. "Afraid not. I have no twin."

"Then what's going on?" TK asked. Ken shot TK a look, but TK ignored him. "I mean, I'm just curious. Are you on prozac or something? Because that stuff is dangerous-"

"Well, I read school newspaper. Read articles about team," Quincy said.

"And?" TK held his arms out at Quincy.

"Well, I have been...very disappointing the last two games. Very bad. Even I realize that. Yet, papers not write about me. They write about you." He pointed at TK. "Always you. Everything about you. All the blame is on you. And now, I realize something. It always about star players. No matter what, people look at star players. You. Not me. No matter what I do, I just role player, school never look at me. Now, no pressure, I just play." Quincy shrugged.

Quincy walked away, headed towards the water fountain, leaving TK standing there stupidly.

"I'm gonna kill him," TK finally said, moving towards him. Ken jumped in front of him and pushed him back.

"That would leave us without a sixth man, and without a key cog for smallball," Ken said quickly.

TK stopped. "Well, my second instinct is to kiss him," he said. "Did you see that last three?"

"Don't do that either," Ken said flatly. "Do you have a third instinct?"

"Yeah," TK said. "Start the second half with a smallball lineup, and then run these guys off the court." He grinned.

.

Quincy caught the ball in the left corner, squared up like he was going to shoot, then dumped it in to the low post over his man to TK. Finally, he had room to operate! TK had his back to his man in the post, then started dribbling and backing him down towards the basket. Three feet away, he spun and put up a hook shot that bounced off the backboard and through the basket.

It was a dream. Nobody was being left open. Nobody could be left alone. They could afford only one man on TK, and TK took great joy in scoring on that one man as many times as he could. And if a double came, TK would quickly find the open man and generate points another way. It was near the end of the third quarter, and Rakunan was now up by twenty.

Ome took it down, rattled by how fast the game had gotten out of hand. The point guard dribbled up into a bad three point attempt that clanked off to TK. They were rushing things now, panicking trying to get back into the game. TK got it to Ken, who slowly dribbled it up, using the entirety of the shot clock.

With about eight seconds left, Ken drove into the lane, drawing attention from TK's man in the low post as he approached the basket. Ken wrapped a pass around the defender to TK, and TK felt the defense rotate around to him. He spun around as a defender from the left corner ran by him, then fired the ball into the left corner to a wide open Derrick.

Quincy's defender sprinted into the corner to Derrick, so Derrick fired it out to Quincy on the left wing. Quincy looked like he was going to shoot, but as his man retreated back to him, he fired it back over to Derrick. Quincy's defender tried to turn back to run into the corner, but fell down, and Derrick had as much time as he wanted to set and fire the three that rattled through the rim. The Rakunan bench went nuts again.

Ome ran their offense up, the point guard throwing the ball into the corner just as the shooting guard was taking off towards the basket. The ball flew out of bounds and possession went to Rakunan.

TK inbounded to Ken, who brought the offense up. Last possession of the quarter. Ken called TK up for a pick and roll. TK complied, setting the screen and waiting for Ken to utilize it. He did, and TK rocketed towards the basket. Finally, the defense didn't completely collapse on him, the power forward no longer dumb enough to leave Quincy open, and TK caught a bounce pass and laid it in with virtually no resistance as the buzzer sounded.

Rakunan walked towards the bench, high-fiving each other.

"Great quarter!" Stewart said. "That's what we gotta do! That's the formula! Alright, this one's over! Derrick, Jason, Marcus, Vincent, Steve, bring us home! Protect the lead, don't turn it over and we got this!"

.

"Gentlemen!" Ken announced, standing at the front of the bus. They were being driven through heavy traffic, back towards Rakunan High. "Today we have seen what we are!"

"Dude, sit down," TK said, sitting near the front on the left side of the bus. "You're gonna smash your head on a pole and die."

"I'll sit down as soon as the government makes it worth the time and puts seatbelts on school buses," Ken said dismissively. "This is who we are! And for the rest of this season, it is who we will be!" He grabbed the backrest of the seats on either side of him as the bus swerved. "It took half the season, but we have our identity! This is who we are, and this is who we will be! We stay true to our identity, we can do anything!"

The whole bus cheered, except for TK, who just rolled his eyes.

"Yesterday, we were a team who didn't know if we had a good lineup. Now, from this game forward, we are a team that doesn't know which good lineup we want to use!" Ken roared.

The whole bus roared their own approval. Again, except for TK.

.

"Man, you are one cheesy guy, you know that?" TK said, chuckling to himself. "Who do you think you are? King Leonidas? That stuff on the bus, some funny stuff, can not believe you actually did that."

"Well, no one else is gonna do it," Ken said, shrugging. "Certainly not you."

"Because it makes you look like a dork," TK said. "They ate it up though." The two of them were seated on the couch in Kari's apartment. "They loved it."

"Of course they did. That's what happens when you win by thirty," Ken said. "They eat up anything positive. You should be happy too. We were close to a mutiny, and now the sky is the limit on this team!"

"Hey, it was one game," TK cautioned. "I mean, yeah Quincy was money out there. But it's one game."

"It's always one something with you," Davis said, emerging from the bathroom. "It's one shot, one quarter, one game."

"Three weeks from now, it'll be 'it's one month'," Ken added. "Come on. He was on fire today, and he provided a completely logical explanation as to why. Just accept it. Quincy's on track."

"Yeah, can you believe that?" TK folded his hands underneath his chin. "That's all it took. At least he knows it was his fault."

"Where'd Kari go?" Ken looked up, craning his neck around the apartment.

"She went to go pick up Teriyaki," TK answered. "Anyway, I am happy about today, but until I see it sustained for a few games I'm not going to trust him totally yet."

"Alright," Ken relented. "But me, I'm going to enjoy cooking up new offensive plays to run now that we have another knockdown shooter. Oh, and I'm totally having a pizza party tuesday evening after practice at that place on 38th street."

"With who's money?" Davis asked, sitting down on the recliner heavily.

"Mine," Ken replied. "My parents broke open my college account since it became obvious I'm not gonna need it. Gave me a piece of it and told me to enjoy myself here and there. Now, I want everyone there. We're starting a new era of Rakunan basketball, and I mean newer than the one at the beginning of this season! We need all hands on deck, and we need everyone on the same page, and it all starts with being friendly off-court."

"I'll be there," TK said, nodding. "But I'm still gonna drive you crazy with my Quincy doubting whether you like it or not."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

.

"I don't mean to mock you or anything, but I think it's really brave of you," TK said, seated on the long table next to Derrick. "At your height, to go into basketball...I mean, it's impressive. You have to be extremely confident in your shot."

"Well, I'm not exactly planning out a college career like you, but it's a fun way to kill time," Derrick responded.

"I'm not planning a college career," TK said flatly. "I haven't even thought about it."

"That's the spirit, you're still young!" Derrick said. "High school years, cherish them."

"I will, because college isn't even on my mind right now," TK said hurriedly.

"Should be," Marcus said, seated on the other side of TK. "Man, you six inches away from being a high quality power forward in college. I'd start planning."

"Nah, I'm...I'm thinking about the present. And in the present, I'm a six foot tall high school freshman power forward, nothing more." TK shook his head. "That's all I am."

"Guys, do you smell gas?" Davis yelled from across the table, looking around at the rest of the team. "I smell gas."

"Oh, yeah, that's gas alright," Vincent said, a few seats to the left of TK. "Yeah, that's gas."

Ken, sitting at the head of the table, turned around and waved at a waitress. "Hey, I think you guys got a gas leak in here!"

"We don't use gas in our kitchen," the waitress replied before turning away.

Ken froze there for a second, a stupid expression on his face. "Well, great, but we all smell it. Don't you smell it?"

"We don't use gas in our kitchen," she repeated quickly, walking towards a table in the corner.

"That's not what I asked, I-...oh, screw it." Ken turned back towards the table.

"This place sucks," TK muttered. "Hey, Ken, where'd you find this place?"

"Well sorry, I wanted to try something new," Ken said. "Does His Majesty find the conditions unpleasing?"

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna die," TK stood up. "Even rats have enough pride to not be seen here. I'm out."

"Fine," Ken grumbled, standing up. "I'm willing to bet that the gas smell would add a nice flavor to the pizza if you'd just give it a chance."

"Come on guys," TK announced, getting everyone on the team to stand up. "Before the place blows up. Ken might be able to lead a basketball team on a basketball court, but anywhere else he's completely lost."

.

"Have you guys seen how the tournaments are scheduled?" Ken asked, leaning forward on the table and looking at TK and Davis to his left.

"Nah, those are still months away," Davis said dismissively.

"After the regular season ends, the next week, we'd travel to Kyoto for the district tournament. One game on saturday, one game on sunday, we come back for the weekdays, go back the next weekend, game on saturday, finals on sunday. Same deal for the national tournament, excecpt it's in Tokyo. Starts the next weekend, game saturday and game sunday, come back for the week, go back, game on saturday, final game sunday."

"Pretty wild," TK said. "Eight games in four weeks potentially."

"And four sets of back-to-backs!" Ken added. "Crazy is right."

"Well, every team has to play that same schedule," TK reasoned. "We'll all be tired."

"We need better depth for these tournament," Ken said. "We're not going to cut it with eight good players."

"Well, this is the team we have." TK rose his hand to a waiter, then pointed at his empty glass. "We're lucky we have eight good players, and that's assuming Quincy's completely over his problem."

"We need good minutes from Vincent and Steve," Ken said, ignoring TK.

"They don't have any good minutes to give," Davis said. "Vincent's a skinny guy with no muscle who's afraid to go within twelve feet of the basket, and Steve's a tall guy who can't keep his balance."

"We haven't given either of them a chance." Ken looked down, pondering the table surface. "We just send them out there and tell them to give you and Luke a rest. They might be good at something, we just have to find it."

"Doubt it," TK said. "Come on, the team we have is great, you said it yourself."

"It's great for the regular season," Ken corrected. "But when we start playing back-to-backs in the tournament, we're gonna get tired real fast, and we're gonna need rest. We need to figure out what those two can do for us."

"Come on, Ken, we just spent the last two months wrestling with Quincy!" Davis groaned. "We finally get him going and now you give us another side project? We've got games to win!"

"We're gonna win those games. Trust me. With Quincy on track we're gonna open the offense up and run teams out of the gym. So we need to figure out what Vincent and Steve can do." Ken tapped the bar surface a few times.

TK glanced behind him at the rest of the team, gathered around the table in the center of the small, dark room. "Vincent can shoot,"

"What's that?" Ken said, turning his head to TK.

"When we have shootarounds, it seems like he can shoot from midrange. Nothing special, but open jumpers...I mean, that way he doesn't have to go near the basket on offense. We could use him as a pick and pop player."

"And what if he doesn't set good screens?" Davis asked.

"Then we'll toughen him up," TK said. "All I know, is it seems like he can hit midrange jumpers. We need to work with that. Steve, I don't know. Dude is five foot ten inches tall and he's not used to it. I don't see much with him except height."

"We got fifteen games," Ken announced. "If we don't get productive minutes from one of them in the tournament, we're going home fast. Sorry guys, I'm trying to get the most I can out of this team, you gotta help me."

"We'll help." TK nodded. "Of course. But don't think we're out of the woods on this Quincy thing yet. I need to see more from him before I buy in."

.

Quincy squared up from the right wing, the defense several steps away from him since they were bracing for Ken to push into the lane on the fast break. Before they could run out to him, he jumped up and shot the three. TK, still at about half-court, was about to sprint in for the offensive rebound, but paused around the three point line as the ball sailed through the rim.

"Buying in yet?" Ken hissed to TK on their way back down the court.

"Anyone can get on a hot streak," TK replied. "We'll see."

Rakunan ran back down on defense, Fuji setting their offense up. After a few seconds, the point charged into the lane, Ken hounding him. He slipped the ball to the shooting guard, who was cutting towards the basket, leading to a layup attempt. Luke managed to block it away without committing a foul, smacking it towards the wing where Davis caught it.

Davis hurled it up the court to Ken, who took off. One Fuji defender was back on defense, waiting just inside the free throw line for Ken. Ken got within a step of him, forcing him to fall back with his drive, then threw it over to the right wing.

Quincy caught it, squaring up like he was going to shoot, and got the single defender to race out to him with his hand in the air. Quincy raised his arms up, got the defender leaping haphazardly through the hair, then bounced the ball towards the basket into TK's path.

TK caught the pass, took one step, and laid it in with no defenders around. The crowd roared. Now this is what they wanted to see.

Fuji dribbled the ball up, moving very slowly and precisely, clearly getting overwhelmed by the run Rakunan was putting up to start the game. The ball got into the low post, to the Fuji center, Luke playing tight defense on him. He faked a left hook, but Luke didn't leave his feet, and the center ended up throwing up a lame duck jumper over Luke that smashed against the backboard and flew to TK.

TK dished it over to Ken, who led the offense up. Rakunan trotted up, Ken signaling TK for a pick and roll on the way up. TK went down to the low block, then spun around and went up to set a screen on Ken's right side.

Ken used the screen, TK waiting for his man to step out to stop Ken from getting to the basket. It happened, just maybe half a step, and TK spun and rocketed to the basket. Ken threw him the pass, and TK turned to face the basket just as Luke's man ran over to jump in front of him. TK pulled up and raised his arms with the ball like he was going to shoot a jumper, Luke's defender jumped high in the air to block it, and TK dribbled around him and laid it in.

Timeout.

.

"Make a tighter turn around the screens," Ken said to Quincy, motioning a turn with his hands to emphasize his words. "If you make a sharp turn around the screens, it's harder for the defender to follow you without running right into the screener. It'll buy you extra time."

"Got it," Quincy said, nodding.

"And be ready to catch the ball as soon as you come around the last screener," Ken added. "Things happen fast, I'm gonna get you the ball as soon as I can when you run off screens. Be ready! Great game today. Seriously, great job. Four-of-six from three, can't complain about that. We're gonna make you a star."

"I don't want to be star, they always get blamed," Quincy said, smiling before turning away to leave.

Ken turned around and walked back to the bench, where TK was sitting.

"Buying in yet?" Ken asked, heavily sitting down to TK's right.

"Yeah I'm in," TK said, not sounding terribly enthusiastic about it. "He's alright."

"That all you got?" Ken leaned back on the bench backrest. "Come on."

TK looked around at the dispersing crowd, slowly leaving the bleachers and making their way towards the exit.

"Okay, fine," TK leaned in closer to Ken. "I couldn't possibly be happier than I am right now. It's not possible. I think we might be able to score a hundred points a game with this offense, and I'd like to try to make it happen next week. Quincy's impact on this team is so large, I can't even begin to measure it." He pulled away from Ken. "Don't tell anyone I said that."

"Welcome aboard," Ken smirked.

.

"I told Ken to not tell anyone I said that," TK said grumpily. He was standing against the corner of the kitchen island, watching Kari working with a small pot on the stovetop.

"Well, what else could you possibly be thinking?" Kari said cheerfully, raising a ladle into the air and sticking it into the pot of red sauce. "I mean, this Quincy thing, it's huge."

"I know," TK said, taking a step closer to her. "I mean, it's impossible to defend our smallball lineup now. It can't be stopped. And, Ken, Davis, Quincy, Me and Luke...it's brutal. Even with Luke, that's hard to stop on offense."

"Quincy moves like a piece of cardboard on defense," Kari remarked distastefully. "Has to be said."

"We can hide his defense. He's slow on staying in front of his man, but that's why we have Luke." TK patted his fist on the countertop a couple times. "He'll give up some baskets, but he'll more than make up for it. We can beat anyone now."

"Nice to see you getting excited about this team for once," Kari said, scooping a bit of the sauce out of the pot.

"I should be excited. This is happening. This team could do anything, Kari. Anything."

Kari lifted the ladle to her mouth and tried the sauce. "Ugh! It's still terrible," she looked down sadly at the pot. "Every time I try to experiment I create something that could be weaponized, I swear."

"Finally, y'know, it's not all about me and Ken and Davis. Last year, the first half of this year, it was us or it was nothing. But now...now we have outside help. We don't have to carry the whole offense." TK looked up at the ceiling. "I never knew that this would be the effect but...I feel great now. Like, I had this big weight on my shoulders, and now I don't."

She pointed the ladle towards TK. "You try it."

"But you just said it was terrible," TK responded, holding his palms out towards the ladle. "Why would I try something you just said is terrible?"

"Well, I think it's terrible but...just try it!" She repeated, thrusting the ladle towards him.

"No!" TK said. "I refuse. If we both get food poisoning, who's going to call 911?"

"It's not going to give you food poisoning," Kari whined. "Come on, just a little bit?"

"No, I don't want to," TK backed away a few steps. "You made it and _you _think it's gross, that says it all."

Kari grunted, then grabbed a oven mitt and picked the pot up. She dumped it into the sink. "It's like, I can't deviate from the recipe so much as a single letter, I don't get it."

"Leave the imagination to others, Kari," TK said. "Some people are just destined to be blueprint followers."

"It doesn't make sense," she said. "I know how to cook, I know theory behind the way things mix...I don't get it."

"Don't worry about it." TK leaned up against the kitchen island, then paused. "Just stick a TV dinner in the oven, I'm not even hungry." He sighed. "This...this is going places, isn't it?"

"What's going places?" Kari asked, walking over to the freezer.

"This team." TK looked at the stovetop thoughtfully. "This is really happening."

"Of course it is. That's been the case all season." Kari shrugged. "Are you just figuring it out?"

"No, it's different now. This is...this is different."

.

"Alright," TK said, standing with both feet firmly planted on the court, hands on top of each other on his waist, Vincent watching. "You get really close to the defender, and set the screen so their shoulder is in line with the center of your chest. When the ballhandler uses the screen, the defender is going to try to get around you. Stand your ground."

"What is this?" Davis asked, spinning a ball between his hands and watching the scene, standing next to Ken.

"TK's a competitive guy." Ken smacked the ball out of Davis's hand, let it bounce up, then got it to balance on his upturned forehead.

"Do not move. If you move, you get whistled for the foul. Stand your ground. Keep your feet planted, stand up straight, and make him go either underneath you or over you. Don't move your feet, and don't let him have a clear lane to chase the ball handler. Alright, come on. Derrick, Marcus, get over here real quick!"

Derrick and Marcus ran over. "Alright, Derrick, you have the ball, and Marcus is defending you. Vincent, set a screen on Marcus for Derrick."

Derrick waved his hand to the sideline and Coach Stewart threw him a ball. He caught it and turned towards the basket, starting to dribble. Marcus got down into a defensive stance.

Vincent set a screen on Marcus's right shoulder, and Derrick dribbled toward Vincent's side. Marcus turned to run through Vincent, going underneath the screen, and Vincent moved his right foot out in an attempt to widen himself and keep Marcus from getting through.

"No, no!" TK said. "You can't move your feet. Just stand your ground, it'll work. If you do that they'll call a foul."

Derrick reset back at the top, and Vincent set the screen. This time, Vincent kept his feet planted as Marcus went underneath the screen, forcing Marcus a few feet away from Derrick, allowing Derrick to stop and pop for a three that rolled in, then back out halfway down.

"Good, good!" TK said. "That's what you got to do. Now, you have to do the pop. Here, we have Derrick running to the right, so you wait for the right moment, and you go left." He motioned for Derrick and Marcus to get back into place. "So, let's say I'm guarding you. When you set the screen and Derrick uses it, the only way we can stop Derrick from blowing into the lane is if I step out to cut him off. When I do that, you turn and run out over there." He pointed at the left wing, about fifteen feet from the basket. "That spot over there will be open, and either you'll run over there with nobody defending you, or you'll run out there with someone a lot shorter defending you."

"No, seriously, what's he doing?" Davis asked. "He never does this."

"He's feeling it," Ken said quietly as TK guided Vincent through the pick and pop walkthrough. "He's realized something."

"And what's that?"

Vincent set the screen, waited for Marcus to clear his body, then spun and ran over to the left wing where TK showed him. Derrick threw him the pass, and he turned and shot the open fifteen foot jumper that went in.

"How good we could be," Ken answered simply.

.

"Alright," TK said slowly, looking around at the huddle of players. "We don't let these guys think for a second that they can play with us. You guys got that? Because they can't. And the sooner we make them realize it, the better!"

The huddle of players grunted their generic agreements.

"My mom and dad are here today," TK continued. "First time this year they've gotten to a game. And they hate traffic. So, we're gonna make sure my parents beat traffic today, because we're gonna have a forty point lead in the third quarter, allowing them to leave early! Got that?"

The same grunts, louder this time.

"They-" TK pointed at the opposing bench, "-are scared! They're not scared of our starting lineup, no. They're scared of us going small! Ken running the offense, Derrick, Davis, Quincy shooting threes, me in the low post, it's a nightmare! They've heard about it, and they are mortified of it! They're so scared of it, they can't even think of anything else! We are so far into their heads, they're thinking about the lineup we might put out there when we feel like it! They're not even thinking about the starters! They're not thinking about anything else! Luke, Marcus, Jason, Steve, Vincent, they're not even thinking about you guys! They think you're filler! You're bodies who hold the fort down until we go small!" TK looked around at everyone in the huddle. "They're not thinking about you. After today, make sure they're thinking about you! Make sure that they regret not thinking about you!"

"This is so weird," Davis muttered to Ken.

"I'm talking here!" TK spat at Davis, pointing at him. Davis reflexively shrunk back on the bench. "They're not thinking about half the players on this team! They have no idea what you guys are about! So today, make sure they find out. Let's go!" He clapped and turned around to face the court. The four other starters followed him out.

"What's up with that?" Davis whispered to Ken as the two teams gathered around the half-court circle.

Ken smirked, then glanced back to Davis.

"He's in."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

.

Davis caught the pass on the left wing, five feet inside the three point line, and spun around. No defender jumped out to meet him, and his man was still fighting through TK's screen, so he simply elevated and shot a midrange jumper that swished through the basket.

Daito inbounded and went up on the other side, Rakunan immediately going into a stifling defense. The moment the point guard crossed half-court, Ken ran up to harass him, forcing him to pick up his dribble and look around for a pass. He swung around and tried to get it to an open man, but everywhere he looked, a Rakunan defender was waiting for the pass. Finally, he ended up just lobbing it over Ken's head towards the basket, hoping someone on his team would end up with it, but TK simply snatched it out of the air and hurled it towards the other basket as Ken ran ahead.

Nobody else around him, Ken took control of the ball, dribbled through the lane, and laid it in without being contested.

"They're ready to crumble," TK muttered to Marcus and Luke as Daito inbounded the ball. "A couple more strong possessions and they'll start thinking about next week's game. Let's finish it."

Daito took it up, again met by a defense that seemed to make any kind of offense impossible. Ken forced the point guard to again pick up his dribble a good five feet behind the top of the three point line. He spun around, finally just managing to shuffle it over to his shooting guard, who dribble up to the right wing with Davis guarding.

The center ran up to set a screen, Luke following. The moment the guard used the pick, Luke collapsed on him, fully committing to stopping the ball. Davis did the same, applying a very tight double team to the shooting guard, who had to pick up his dribble.

The center sprinted towards the basket, but the shooting guard had been swallowed up by the double team so much he couldn't get a good pass. Finally, he tried to simply heave it up into the air to the center, but Luke simply sprinted back, jumped in front of the center, and caught the pass for the steal. Ken looked back to receive the pass from Luke, then turned and heaved it down the court to TK.

TK had ran down as soon as he saw Luke was going to snatch the pass, two steps ahead of the defense, and had only air in his path as he caught the pass. He dribbled through the lane and laid it in, turning to point at the crowd in the bleachers as they cheered.

"Don't let them breathe!" TK yelled as he ran back down on defense. "You don't give them an inch of free space!"

Daito brought it back down, this time Ken and Davis closed in on a double team as soon as the point guard crossed half-court. Trapped there, the point guard hugged the ball and pivoted around, trying to find some place to squeeze the ball through.

Finally, he just shoved the ball through Ken's legs, even though there was nobody there. Marcus ran up from the right wing and snatched it, then threw it up the court. Ken ran up and grabbed it, he and Davis the only ones running down the court. Ken dribbled into the lane lazily, threw it over to Davis, and Davis rose up for a layup that was immediately followed by a timeout by Daito.

TK ran over to the bleachers, waving his hands up towards the ceiling as the crowd got louder.

"He's gone mad!" Davis yelled to Ken over the cheers. "Look at him! He's like a wrestler!"

"I know! It's great, isn't it?" Ken answered.

.

"Man, this is wild!" Luke said, grinning broadly. "They can't stop us, nothing can stop us!"

The whole team was gathered around the lunch table, looking around at each other and talking.

"Twenty-four wins, four losses!" Marcus called out. "Twelve straight wins. It's nuts! How did we even get here? It's insane!"

"They're gonna remember these games at this school forever, guys," TK said. "They'll talk about them decades from now." He pointed at Luke. "Nine blocks in one game, we're not gonna forget that one."

"Quincy's seven-of-seven from three in one half!" Ken called out.

"It's all great. You're all great!" Davis called out. "Now, the school might be sticking our numbers on the wall over there, but don't forget about what you guys bring! We can't do what we do without you guys!"

Almost on cue, the principal walked over towards that very wall, megaphone in hand. On his way over to it, he held the megaphone up to his mouth.

"One month until the tournaments, and Rakunan remains red hot!" He called out, drawing cheers from the entire lunch room. "Let's all take a moment to recognize those who take the team on their back!"

TK glanced around at his teammates around the table, speaking in a hushed tone. "He's not smart enough to understand the value of you guys, trust me."

"Let's hear it for everyone's favorite shooting guard, Davis!" He motioned toward the lunch table, and Davis quickly waved his hand up in the air before putting it back down. "Twenty-eight games into a thirty-two game season, he remains the resident Rakunan sharpshooter!" The principal reached into his pocket and pulled out a notecard. "I had the computer lab guys throw this together for me, so thanks to them. Uh, eighteen points a game, shooting...forty-nine percent from the field and...and forty-four percent from three! Very impressive!"

More applause. Davis waved again.

"He's single, ladies," the principal added. The crowd laughed and Davis ducked down onto the table, face red.

"Don't you hate it when old people try to be funny to young people?" TK mumbled to Ken. "I mean, what _is_ that?"

"Our floor general, the man running the point, Ken!" he continued. "To date, he averages nine point three points, twelve point five assists, and three steals a game!" He paused for the cheers.

"I don't even think he knows what those words mean," Ken said quietly as he gave a half-hearted wave.

"And of course, our resident super star power forward, Takeru!" He cleared his throat. "Hold onto your seats for this one. Takeru has, on average, per game, twenty-two points, twelve point four rebounds, three point five assists, and one point two blocks, and he shoots fifty-nine percent from the field!"

The crowd went nuts at this, and TK immediately stood up and walked toward the wall the principal was standing by.

"What's he doin'?" Davis asked.

"Being a leader." Ken propped his elbow on the table and put his chin in his hand.

TK went up to the principal and motioned for the megaphone. The principal gladly handed it over, and TK held it up to his mouth.

"Thank you for all that, and...man, this thing is loud!" he announced. "Anyway, all of that is appreciated. But I wanted to take a moment to appreciate everything. Sometimes, I think it's easy to get so caught up in the obvious, that you miss out on the subtleties of the game." He slowly walked toward the lunch table he had just left. "You come to our games, and you see me scoring in the low post, you see Ken handling the ball, you see Davis knock down shots, and you think that's all there is to it." He moved behind Luke. "You forget things that aren't so immediately obvious."

"I used to have to do this stuff," Ken said quietly to Davis. "Watch this."

"Take Luke," TK said, motioning towards Luke. "Starting center. You guys probably don't notice the way he plays defense in the post. I practice against this guy and I can't score on him most of the time. He swallows up every post move, and probably prevents at least six baskets a game that should have been easy scores. Four points, thirteen rebounds, three and a half blocks a game. We are not here today without Luke. We're not even close without him."

Luke stood up and waved amid cheers as TK moved down the table a couple steps.

"Marcus. We like to call him the perfect role-player." TK patted Marcus on the shoulder. "Nobody wants to win more than Marcus, and nobody is more willing to do whatever it takes to win. Some of you guys see him on the court, and you probably wish he'd leave so Quincy could play. And we'll get to Quincy soon here. But we need Marcus out there. He does the things you don't think about, like play hard-nosed defense on the perimeter. He sets screens, he double-teams, he executes within our system. Seven points, three rebounds, three assists, a steal and a block every game. It all adds up, people. You need people like Marcus if you wanna win."

Marcus waved his hand up in the air as people cheered him on. Ken looked over at Davis, smiling proudly.

"I knew he'd get it," Ken whispered.

"Speak of the devil, Quincy!" TK said, stepping behind the backup small forward. "He is the key to our team in ways that are so complicated, I won't bother explaining them in full here. Just know that, without him, we're not close to what we are now. He is the key to our ability to play a small lineup, and key to our ability to field our most dangerous lineups. Early this season, he was having a hard time figuring things out, and we were in trouble. It was only after he started catching fire that we settled into what we are today!" He paused for a little bit of applause. "Even with his admittedly aupicious start to the season, Quincy stands before you today averaging ten and a half points, four rebounds, and two assists a game. Once upon a time, the man couldn't hit the ocean if you stuck him on a boat in international waters. And inspite of that, he has surfaced, and is shooting forty-eight percent from the field and thirty-nine percent from behind the arc!"

Quincy stood up and bowed as everyone cheered. TK moved further down the line.

"You guys look at Derek. You see a short guy who shouldn't be on the team. You see a guy who doesn't belong. But the ability to stay on the team and keep plugging away, even as such a short height, proves how tough he is! Derek is an inspiration to us all! He toughs it out on the court even though everyone else is taller than him! And he holds his own. He might be the toughest guy on this whole team. Eight points and two assists a game, shooting forty-four percent from three."

He paused for the applause, then continued. The entire room fell silent, hanging on his every word.

"There are all kinds of ways to play the game of basketball. Some, admittedly, better than others, but the best basketball comes when all the different styles come together and mesh. They become part of the big picture, and contribute to a winning basketball team. Some of you probably look at Jason, and you're reminded of how his style of play lead us to nine wins last season. But make no mistake. What he does is valuable to this team. Eight points and two assists a game. We're not here right now without him. We're not."

He waited for the applause to die down, then moved down to the end of the table.

"I know what you're all thinking," TK said. "Those two guys hardly play! I barely know their names! They don't do anything! What is TK going to say about them?" He spun around to look around the room. "You guys don't get to see how they help this team. You come and watch the games, and that's it. What, they both average like a point and a rebound every game? Yeah, that's what you guys see. But in practice, you need people like Steve and Vincent. People who work within the team, are happy to help any way they can, set screens in practice, and are always ready to step up when we call on them. Not everybody can score the points, or grab the rebounds. Every team needs guys who set picks in practice and are happy to be along for the ride. I'm proud to say we have two of those guys!"

More applause.

"I just wanted to say all that," TK said, swiftly moving back to the principal. "Just once, I wanted to talk to you guys about what it takes to put together a team." He handed the megaphone over. "Thank you."

Everyone gave one last wave of loud applause as TK walked back to the table, retaking his seat.

.

"Hey, man," Jason said, edging closer to Ken on the bench.

"What's up?" Ken said, turning to look at the backup shooting guard.

"Hey, I've been...I don't know, I wasn't sure what to say, how to say it, but..."

Ken backed off from Jason, withdrawing his head back. "Whoa, whoa, I don't swing that way!"

"No!" Jason yelled. "No, not that, it's just...the stuff I said a few months ago...well, I was wrong. You do know what you're talking about, you're...you're smart. I was wrong, I was just...you know."

"It's fine man," Ken said, nodding. "I don't always know what I'm talking about. I could just as easily have been wrong about things. It's good to have voices of dissent sometimes."

"No, I...I was wrong. And I wanna be a part of this. I'm a sophomore, I got two years after this one, I got the sense you're building something really special here, and I wanna be a part of it. Whatever you want, I wanna be a part of it. You tell me what you need from me. We've got a month before the tournament, and I wanna buy in completely on this system before it starts."

"Hey, lovebirds!" TK called out, walking towards the bench. "If you're done, we got a practice to run through!"

Ken and Jason jumped up, running to halfcourt, where the rest of the team was gathered, including Stewart.

"Hey guys. Alright. Great job saturday. Now, first-"

The gym door sprung open, and Kari sprinted through the door as it closed behind her. She ran over to halfcourt, holding a piece of paper.

"It's here!" she yelled out. "It's here!"

"What's up?" TK asked as Kari came to a stop in front of him.

"The invite," she said simply, handing the paper slip to TK.

TK grabbed it and opened it up, eyeballs scrolling through the words.

"Dear Rakunan Wildcats, we would like to congratulate you on your immensely successful season to this point, and offer you a spot in the district tournament next month in Kyoto. We invite the sixteen best high school basketball teams in the district to this tournament every year, and your Wildcats have made our cut. The tournament is single-elimination with a total of four rounds played over two weekends, and the prize for winning is a spot in the Japanese national tournament. If you would like to participate, please respond to this letter within two weeks of receiving it." TK folded the paper back up and handed it to Stewart. "Official then."

"The Principal already sent the approval in," Kari said, a big grin on her face. "Approval is pending the delivery of the letter."

"Well, he could have consulted with us first," Ken said, raising an eyebrow.

"What, like you guys were gonna turn it down?" Kari said, smirking.

"Maybe I had a weekend with Yolei planned," Ken said airily. "Who knows?"

"Hey, give Yolei some credit, she's actually into this stuff now!" Kari said. "Alright, you guys have your practice." She turned around and walked off.

"Great, great news," Stewart said absentmindedly. "Now, we still got four games we gotta play, I kinda figured we'd be getting the invite soon. The tournament is a series of back-to-backs, against the best the district has to offer. You guys remember Tony? We'll see him again. John? He'll be there. And they're gonna want revenge. These last four games, yeah we wanna win, but I'm gonna spread the minutes around more. I know everyone on this team is feeling the wear and tear of the season. You're all young kids, but I know it's wearing on you, and there's no shame in it. We need our stars fresh and ready for the tournament, so I'm gonna reduce your minutes. And trust me, those sunday games are going to wear on everyone's legs. So we need quality minutes from ten players. Not eight, not nine, ten. Vincent, Steve, I know you're both happy with your roles right now, but it's time to step it up. Both of you are gonna get some more minutes over this last month. And when the tournament kicks off, we need good minutes from both of you or we're not going far."

.

"You can not be afraid of that shot!" TK said, putting his hand on Vincent's shoulder and looking him in the eye. "That is your shot! You get open on that play, you take that shot, just like in practice! That is your shot!"

Vincent nodded silently, then turned to run back onto the court as the whistle blew. TK sat back down on the bench next to Ken.

"Ask your brother to hook you up with some cocaine," Ken said under his breath as Steve inbounded the ball to Jason.

"You planning a party?" TK asked.

"No, you're gonna need it. This is a nightmare," Ken lamented. "We're gonna need you to play every single minute of every single game in the tournament to have a chance."

"Oh, so you had faith in Quincy to come around for months, but you've already given up on Vincent and Steve?" TK asked. "How nice of you."

"It's not there. At least with Quincy you saw it in practice, but these guys...no."

Jason called for Vincent to set a pick. Vincent set it and Jason used it, darting to the right and drawing both defenders. Vincent leaked out onto the left wing, fifteen feet out, and caught the pass from Jason. He turned and shot the jumper, swishing it through the rim.

"Vincent can give us a few good pick and pop possessions a game, just like that," TK insisted. "He'll play maybe five minutes a game, that's all we need."

"It doesn't matter, TK. He can't defend anyone,"

On cue, the opposing team ran a play where the ball went into the low post to the power forward, Vincent standing between him and the basket.

"Hey, at least he's trying now," TK said.

Vincent was backed down to just a few feet away from the basket, then the power forward did a ball fake up that Vincent bit on, then slid underneath him for the layup.

"He can't defend in the post, he can't help on slashers...just because he's trying now doesn't mean he's any better at it." Ken shook his head.

"We can hide him on defense," TK said. "It looks really bad right now because both Vincent and Steve are on the court at the same time. We'll just make sure that doesn't happen in the tournament."

Ken shook his head again. "And Steve...he's so clumsy. I just can't imagine him ever doing anything positive in a game. He's tall, that's it."

Jason slashed into the lane past his defender, faking a pass out to Quincy in the corner to get the defense to hesitate, then laid it in uncontested. TK glanced up at the scoreboard.

"Think we're good?" There were seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, and Rakunan held a fifteen point lead.

"No lead is safe with Vincent _and_ Steve in the game," Ken said dryly.

"You know, _you're_ the one who taught me the value of not abandoning players when it seems like they're never gonna be good," TK said tartily.

Jason stole the ball on a double team, sprinted down the court, and went up for a contested layup on a one-on-one fast break before throwing it back out behind him to the right wing. Quincy caught the pass and rose up for an uncontested three that rattled through the rim.

"I think we're safe now," Ken said.

.

"We need to double in the low post when Vincent or Steve are the defenders," TK said, holding a ball inbetween both hands and bouncing it hard on the floor a few times. "Whoever it happens to be, whoever is closest, bring a double. We need to give them help defense or they're not stopping anyone. It's worth the risk."

"Maybe if you combine my defense with Steve or Vincent defense, it add up to one good defender," Quincy said thoughtfully, looking around the empty gym.

"If those two have to single team players in the post and get scored on every play, their confidence will disappear," TK said. "We need to protect them. Oh, and you wanna swing by my place tomorrow night? The Knicks are playing the Bulls on ESPN and I can stream it."

"Sounds good," Quincy said. "And maybe after game, I can start teaching you how to speak English."

"Why?" TK asked, scooping the ball up towards the basket, bouncing it off the backboard and through the basket.

"Well, a little more than three years from now, you will need the skill to negotiation athletic scholarship with major American college," Quincy answered.

"Dude, not you too!" TK grabbed the ball and threw it against the floor a few times. "Look, don't get me wrong, I'm having a lot of fun, and...I know that as far as high school freshmen go, I'm pretty good. But I am not even thinking about playing college basketball! Nobody should, it's insane!"

Quincy shrugged. "It's certainly something to consider."

"No, it's not," TK threw the ball up in the air and caught it. "Look, maybe here I look great, but at the end of the day I'm still just a six foot power forward."

Quincy laughed. "You continue to underestimate yourself."

"No, that's all I am, and college basketball has no market for six foot power forward."

"TK," Quincy said slowly. "You were six feet tall when the season started. Trust me. No way you are six feet tall now."

TK spun the ball around in his hands. "Nah, man, trust me, it's six feet tall."

"I saw you first day of practice, and I see you now. I bet my whole comic book collection you have grown at least two inches since then. At least."

TK paused for a moment. "Nah, there's...no, that's..."

"Do you ever measure your height?" Quincy asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well...I..." TK dropped the ball, letting it bounce away from him. "Be right back." He darted towards the door leading out of the gym, roughly pushing it open and disappearing out into the hallway.

.

"Knock knock," he said quickly, swinging into the school nurse's office.

"TK, hey!" The nurse said in a surprised tone, placing a folder down on her desk. She was a rather pretty nurse, short brown hair and a thin figure. TK noted mentally that she looked rather like an older Kari, but he banished the thought, for he had other things on his mind.

"Can you take my height?" He asked, looking around the office for a measuring stick on the wall.

"What's wrong? You not feeling good?" She asked, grabbing a pen off her desk. "Stomach?"

"Wh-no, I feel fine. There's nothing wrong with me." TK wormed his feet out of his shoes.

"Then what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I just want you to take my height," TK said.

"Well, alright," she said, standing up. "Uh...it's in the other room." She walked over to the door in the back and swung it open. TK followed hot on her heels.

"I want to know _exactly_ how tall I am." TK bent over and started pulling his socks off.

"Uh, that won't be necessary-" the nurse said, turning to stand next to the measuring stick to the right of the door.

"No! I need a perfect reading. Nothing can make this in the slightest way inaccurate." He looked at the stick on the wall, eyeballing it closely. "Are you sure this thing is accurate? You know these things are considered defective if they're off more than one hundredth and twenty eighth of an inch off per yard?"

"It's fine," the nurse sighed. "I'm quite sure it's accurate."

TK put his heels up against the back wall, then stood up straight against the measuring stick. The nurse reached up and adjusted the arm at the top of the bar, pressing it against the top of TK's head.

"Alright...come on out." TK stepped away from the wall. "And...looks like seventy-four and three-fourths inches."

"Seventy-four and three fourths...that's..." TK looked down at his hands, ticking off fingers.

"Six feet, two and three quarters inches," the nurse finished for him.

"Six feet...two and...and...wait, do it again!" he insisted, pressing himself up against the wall.

"It's not a computer program. If I do it again it'll show the exact same thing," the nurse shrugged. "Are you sure you feel okay?"

"Yeah...yeah..." TK stumbled over to the chair on the other side of the door at sat down heavily. "Six feet, two and three quarters inches...jeez..."

"Something the matter?" The nurse asked, tilting her head.

TK looked down at the floor for a moment, sighing. Then, he looked up, a smirk on his face. "Nothing's the matter." His eyes widened and his smile grew. "In fact...everything is fantastic."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

.

TK stood out on the right wing, making eye contact with Ken as he brought the ball up. Ken nodded, and TK slowly strolled towards the basket.

Ken dribbled for a second, then crossed his man over and went to the right, badly fooling him and getting into the lane. Three defenders converged on Ken, and Ken lobbed it up towards the right side of the rim. TK had gone to the baseline, then bolted towards the basket, eyes on the ball. Nobody was around the basket, all of them having left it by a couple steps to go out to Ken, and TK leaped up to grab it several inches above the rim.

He could almost feel the surprise in the crowd, as everyone realized that his hands had reached well beyond the basket, and that he now held the ball just inches away from that basket. He slammed the ball home, both hands gripping the rim as the ball fell through the net, the basket bending downward slightly under his weight and the force of his impact.

As he let go and dropped down, he heard the wild roar of the crowd. He landed, turned around, and ran towards the side of the court the bleachers were on as he went back up the court. Without looking towards them, he pointed both hands at the audience, basking in their appreciation of what he just did. They had never gotten this loud before. And they were only a minute into the game.

Nishi brought the ball up, already looking rattled. It was one thing to lay a ball into a basket, but to ram it home from above the rim was something else entirely. It was as if the crowd was swallowing the arena whole.

The Nishi point stopped at the top of the key, dribbling around, barely even recognizing as Ken picked his pocket and poked the ball away. As soon as he did, TK took off down the court, and Ken simply lobbed the ball in front of him.

The crowd fell silent as TK grabbed it and started dribbling into the lane. There was nobody around, and TK went up with the ball in his right hand. He was able to get it several inches above the top of the rim at his peak, showing off both height and jumping ability that was new to everyone in the building except for Ken.

He slammed it home with one hand, momentum carrying him partially out of bounds as the crowd again went wild. Nishi called a quick timeout, just to give the crowd a couple minutes to quiet down.

TK ran over to the bench, getting mobbed by the entire team.

"How long have you been hiding that one?" Davis asked as the group gathered around TK.

"Hey, it's the last game of the season inside the Rakunan building," TK answered, sitting down on the bench. "Last game in front of our home crowd. I wanna give them something to remember."

"Have you been sandbagging all year?" Luke asked. "That was SICK!"

"Nah...I practiced it a few times with Ken last night, made sure I could do it. I couldn't do it at the start of the year." TK nodded. "Listen to them."

The crowd was still going nuts. They wanted more. A Rakunan player hadn't dunked in forever.

"Thought I'd give em a show," TK said. "Great crowd. If any of you guys can get above the rim, feel free to contribute."

"I doubt it, but if you don't mind including some comedy in your show I could try," Luke offered. "I can barely touch the rim."

"Well, whatever you do, just remember. These fans, a lot of them won't be able to make it out for the tournament, so this is the last chance they have to see us play. Play like it."

Finally, the crowd volume went down a little bit, though still loud and raucous enough for the team to know they were being appreciated.

.

Jason dribbled around on the right wing, eighteen feet from the basket, his defender crouched down and waiting. Jason thrust to the left, then immediately pulled back, making such a sudden pair of movemens, his defender fell down as he rose up for the long two point jumper. It swished through, the crowd again going nuts as Jason ran back down the court with the rest of the bench players.

"You're not the only one with a theatric side," Ken remarked. "That was an Allen Iverson type move."

"My dunks are better," TK said flatly.

"I know, but still, that was pretty nice," Ken replied. "Man, I want this game to end before someone breaks a leg."

"Has the bracket for the tournament come out yet?" TK asked.

"Nah, probably tomorrow." Ken took a swig from his water bottle. "I mean, ultimately, we have to play our game whoever we play. We have strengths and weaknesses and we have to live with those. You over-coach, you play to your weaknesses."

"Yeah, but minor adjustments, rotation things, matchups can definitely affect that."

"Alright, here's what I'm thinking," Ken said.

.

"We start the game with myself, Davis, Marcus, TK and Luke." Ken paced around Kari's bedroom. The entire team was gathered in the room. TK and Davis sat on the bed, Vincent, Jason and Quincy leaned against the far wall, Derrick sat on the desk chair, and Steve, Luke and Marcus were on the floor. "We stay with that for about five minutes. We all know how we roll with that lineup, the basic stuff. Then, Marcus subs out for Quincy, and we open it up a little bit."

The door swung open, and Kari walked in with a pitcher of lemonade and a stack of paper cups. "My room was not built to hold eleven people," she said grumpily.

"I agree," TK said. "So get out. Men at work here."

"Imma punch you right in your face," Kari muttered, setting the pitcher and cups on the desk next to Derrick and turning around.

"Don't say you're gonna do things you're not gonna do," TK droned.

Kari rolled her eyes, but left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Right, so, we keep that lineup for the rest of the first quarter. In the second, I come out for Derrick, Davis comes out for Jason, and Luke comes out for Steve. Obviously here, we want Jason to draw focus by driving into the lane, and then either finding a pass or scoring. We run that out for two, maybe three minutes, then Luke goes back in for Steve, and TK sits for Vincent. Lots of threes. And then for the last two minutes of the first half, we go smallball. We try to break their spirit before halftime with threes, make them think about what we just did for the entire halftime. Derrick, me, Davis, Quincy, TK. We break them with that lineup." Ken paced around a little bit. "But we can't use it much more than that in the tournament, against teams this good they'll destroy our defense if we go small too much."

"Second half, we start with the starters. After about five minutes, I come out for Derrick and Jason comes in for Davis, and we go with that for the rest of the third. By then, hopefully, the game is out of reach and we can play Derrick, Jason, Marcus, Vincent and Steve for the entire fourth, but I'm not counting on it. So, barring that, we start the fourth with Derrick, Jason, Quincy, TK, Steve. Two minutes. Then, me, Davis, Marcus, Vincent, Luke, and hopefully we can get that lineup the heck off the court as soon as possible because it's a disaster offensively." The room laughed. "So one minute, maybe ninety seconds for that one. Then, rest of the game, we play our best lineup. Me, Davis, Quincy, TK, Luke. We live or die with that lineup down the stretch. That's the formula."

"Sounds good," Quincy said, clapping his hands.

"We need everyone to step up. Everyone has to give good minutes. All ten guys. We don't have the benefit of extended TV timeouts or long halftime shows to give us a rest. If we don't get quality play from everyone on this team, we're going home early."

Kari started pounding on the door to her room from the other side. "I want my room back! It's been two hours already!"

"Told you we should have moved the team meeting to my place," Ken said dully.

"Your place is all the way across town," TK replied. "Kari gets to live right down the street from school, this is the price she pays."

"Come on, you don't even have anything else to talk about! Now you're just staying in there to make me mad!" Kari yelled.

"She's right," TK admitted. "I do find this rather funny."

"Alright guys, I guess that's all we can talk about for now," Ken said. "See everyone tomorrow."

Slowly, everyone but TK, Ken and Davis got up and left the room, marching out the front door under the watchful eye of Kari. When they were gone, Kari went back into her room, scowling all the way.

"I never said my room could become team headquarters, you know. You guys are pushing it." Kari leaped onto the bed, head landing on the pillow and body splayed out on the sheets.

"Hey, they're all nice people," TK said. "It's not like I'm inviting a motorcycle gang over."

"My parents would freak out if they found out I had ten high school basketball players in my bedroom at the same time, you realize that?" Kari said, pointing at TK. "Work with me here. My parents adore you, don't give them a reason not to."

"They won't find out." TK sat down on the bed next to Kari. "There is nothing wrong with doing little, minor things here and there behind your parents's back."

"Just don't start smoking or stealing cars and you're fine," Ken added. "Keep it to little things."

"So, anyway, I've been meaning to say...that was quite a spectacle on saturday," Kari said. "I told you all those leg exercises would pay off."

"I've decided to embrace it," TK said, laying down next to Kari.

"Embrace what?"

"Who I am." TK looked over at Davis. "I mean, it doesn't really matter what I say, does it? People are gonna keep talking about how I'm gonna be a college power forward in America, talk about how great I am, doesn't matter what I say. I'm almost six foot three now. Like a quarter of an inch shy. I thought for sure I was done growing, but I just keep...I mean, it's nuts."

"Every population has outliers, TK," Ken said. "And perhaps you're one of them. For some people to be five feet tall, others have to be seven feet tall."

"I'm...I'm probably done, I mean...six foot three is already crazy enough, I think I'm probably done growing, but I gotta accept that until I actually do stop growing, people are gonna keep talking me up. So I may as well run with it. It's not any fun denying it." TK closed his eyes. "People won't be saying anything when I'm still six foot three as a senior. No six foot three power forwards in college basketball. But until then...may as well humor them."

.

"Good news, bad news time," Ken said, sitting down at the lunch table with a brown bag, inbetween TK and Davis. "Bracket is out."

"What have you got?" TK leaned forward, looking at Ken.

"Hakuo, first round," Ken replied. "We can take them, I don't think it'll be too bad. That's the good news."

"And the other shoe?" Davis asked.

"Should we beat Hakuo, we're almost definitely playing Meguro in the second round." Ken looked around. "Less than twenty-four hours after the first game, we'll have to deal with Tony looking for revenge."

"He's not that hard to beat," TK insisted. "He's got no post game and he's raw. I stopped him once, I can stop him again."

"He's still a complete monster, TK." Ken bit his lower lip. "You stopped him once, but what if you don't get the calls this time? What if you're tired from saturday's game? It's not a math equation."

"I know, but I can beat him," TK said. "I know the formula, and I can beat him."

"He's learned from the first game. It's gonna be tough. I know you can do it, but this is a very good team. I might cut your minutes in the first game if I can, just so you have enough gas for sunday." Ken glanced around again. "We'll probably be seeing John again too, but he's on the other side of the bracket, so not until the final game, if we make it that far. And I don't harbor any illusions that I can do what I did the first time again."

"I can get him. We can get him. We're a much better team than we were the first time we played." TK poked at his soup with his spoon.

"The first time we played, we had the element of surprise on our side," Ken reminded him. "Nobody expect a team that featured three freshmen to be so good. Now, everyone's ready for it. You're gonna get treated like a superstar, double-teams and all."

At that moment, TK's cell phone started vibrating. "One second," TK turned away from the table, popped his phone out of his pocket, and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, you still at lunch?" Matt said.

"Oh, yeah, hey, how's it going?" TK said. "Yeah I got a minute."

"So, I heard you're heading down to Kyoto for the weekend?"

TK moved the phone to his right ear. "Yeah. I mean, you lose once and you're out...but obviously, we'd come back saturday afternoon and go back sunday morning-"

"I have a better idea," Matt interrupted. "How about you spend saturday night at a hotel by the gym?"

"Well gee, Matt, that sounds great, I'm just a little short on funds right now after I bought that summer home in Italy earlier this week," TK deadpanned.

"Come on dude, you know what I mean. I'll rent the room for you. If you need it, I'll do it next weekend too."

"Where are you getting all this money? You _are_ selling drugs, aren't you?" TK glanced around furtively. "I'm gonna get in trouble if people find out I used drug money for a hotel room."

"For the last time, the band is selling out every single show we play. And you wouldn't believe how much money you save when you don't have a girlfriend."

"You really don't have to do that, it's not that big a deal to drive back down and go back up," TK said.

"Well, I already rented the room out, so either it's gonna sit there empty or you're gonna use it."

TK sighed. "Then why did you even ask? Wait, don't answer that...how big is the room?" he said in a defeated tone.

"Biggest I could get. I'll text you the address. Four beds, two baths."

"Alright. Thanks. I'll use it." TK hung up, then turned back around. "Not a word to the rest of the team, got it? Matt got us a hotel room in Kyoto, us three and Kari can use it."

"Great. Renting out a hotel room with drug money," Ken said dryly. "You're acting like an NBA player already."

.

TK stood with his back to the basket, the only person in the entire gym, a ball in his hands. He stood there for a second, dribbled once, then spun to the baseline as if he was being defender, then rose up to slam the ball through the rim.

He dropped down, grabbing the ball after it bounced on the floor once, then jumped away from the basket, spinning towards it as he did so, and shot it off the backboard and through the basket.

"Come on," Ken said, entering through the gym door, walking towards the court. "Save it for tomorrow morning. Let's go home."

"It's different, being able to just shove the ball through the rim." TK tossed the ball up in the air, then caught it. "Most people are never capable of even coming close to dunking in their life, and here I am. Fourteen, slamming it home."

"It's worth two points, same as any of your layups or jumpers." Ken walked past the baseline and TK threw him the ball.

"Tell that to the crowd." TK clapped a few times. "When I went up for that second dunk last week...I could feel them. Feel them anticipate it. Feel them go nuts after I did it. It felt totally different."

"The play has merits, but don't forget your post game," Ken said, throwing the ball around between his hands.

"Can you keep a secret? Don't tell anyone this? Not Kari, not Davis, not anyone," TK asked.

"Sure," Ken replied.

"What I said the other day, that stuff with you guys, I didn't mean any of it," TK looked up at the basket. "You get a whole new perspective on things from above the rim, I guess."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, this is happening." TK sighed. "I'm gonna keep growing, I'm gonna keep getting better, and three years from now, I'm gonna have a dozen American college trying to recruit me." He smiled. "And you know what, Ken? I can't wait. I want it to happen."

"I knew you'd come around!" Ken said. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Why it's a secret is beyond me, but still."

"I'd prefer everyone think my mind is completely on the present," TK explained. "And I don't wanna deal with questions about college basketball yet. The point is, I want to be able to talk to American recruiters, and tell them I was on the team that won district when I was a freshman. You get me?"

"Of course," Ken bounced the ball a few times. "We can do this. We can do this."

Ken lazily lobbed the ball up towards the basket, leaving it a couple feet short of the rim. TK rose up as high as he could, grabbed it, and slammed it home with his right hand.

.

"Now remember, if we win today, not everyone is gonna come home on the bus," Ken announced to the nine other players and one coach sitting on various rows of the mostly empty bus. "I'm going to be staying with my cousin overnight, I know a few others are going to spend the night in Kyoto as well, so it doesn't mean someone got left behind."

Luke raised his hand. "I'm staying with my older brother."

"Right." Ken cleared his throat. "Now, this team we're playing, it's pretty elementary stuff. We got a good draw with these guys. They have twins, big twins, one starts at center and the other at power forward. Both six feet tall, can score in the post, can hit midrange jumpers, both great players. They are the very seat of their power. But all you need to know about these guys, is-"

.

"-their backcourt isn't up to standard," Stewart announced to the team. The team had assembled in the locker room. It was a heck of a nice gym, a full-on locker room connected to the gym, one for each team. Dozens of lockers lined every wall, everything was white and clean...it was nice.

"They run everything through those two guys. They're very weak at the guard and small forward spots. They don't hit open shots, they don't get to the basket, they don't do much of anything. We can double down low without worrying about them making us pay for it. Now, we don't always need to double, but if we do, we should be able to manage on the perimeter." Stewart looked around at the team, all gathered in front of him on benches. "By that same token, we need good jumpshooters today, it's hard to score on those two guys down low. We can't get away from the formula that makes us good, but we have to recognize how to adjust."

He motioned for the team to step forward. "Alright, we use the rotation we discussed until we have to change. If Luke or TK is out of the game, double their bigs no matter what. Stick to the gameplan." Everyone put their hands in the middle of the huddle. "Alright, we got this, let's just play our game, we're better than these guys."

Everyone threw their hands up into the air.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

.

Ken dribbled the ball up to the top, the offense assembling. It was a great gym, everything shining like it was brand new, seats around the entire court stacked up several rows, every seat filled with fans. It was so different, it almost felt like they were playing a different sport. It took several minutes during warmups for the team to get a feel for the court.

TK glanced behind him as he moved into the post. The twins. Both tall and imposing, standing on either side of the basket. TK might have been three inches taller than them, but they combined to form a high quality paint defense. The power forward, Josh, was defending him, while the center, Andrew, was standing near Luke.

TK stepped out down the left baseline, away from the basket, as Davis caught the ball on the left wing. Davis threw the ball over to TK, who turned around to face the basket as his man came out to defend him. TK waited, pumping the ball up twice and watching his man's hand lash out like a cobra to block his view each time, then simply threw a bounce pass past his man into the lane.

Ken had bolted for the basket, to the open spot that TK and his man had left, and caught the pass two steps in front of his man. The other twin thought about leaping to contest it, but held back at the last second to let Ken take the layup for fear of picking up an early foul. Easy early bucket.

Hakuo brought their own offense up, immediately feeding Josh in the post. TK played up close on him as he started to dribble, backing towards the basket. TK fought to hold him on his spot as Josh spun and went up with a hook shot seven feet from the basket. The high arcing shot bounced off the backboard, and slid through the hoop.

.

"This place is beautiful," Yolei remarked, looking around the gym. "It's so much better than any other gym."

"Look at those backboards," Kari said. Ken brought the ball up. TK again went down into the low post, then went out towards the corner to draw his defender out and free up space near the basket. Marcus set a screen on Ken's right side and Ken used it to shake free of his defender, turning a corner on the left wing and sprinting towards the basket while dribbling.

As Ken went to the basket, Luke's man ran over to rotate in front of him, so Ken wrapped it around him and threw it to Luke. The length of Andrew allowed him to leap back towards Luke as soon as the pass went to him, so Luke threw it right back to Ken. It was a poor pass, Ken reaching down to catch it near his ankles, and by the time Ken managed to rise up for the shot Andrew had gotten back to his side. Andrew blocked the layup attempt over to a guard, who took it back up the other way.

"These guys are good," Kari said. "We need to get Quincy in there as soon as possible, we're not gonna get any offense going against those two without another shooter."

Hakuo ran the ball up, passing it around the perimeter aimlessly for a few seconds. Finally, they threw an entry pass to Josh, but Marcus ran across the court to pick the pass off, taking off down the court with it.

All ten players ran towards the other basket, Marcus still controlling the ball. After getting around the three point line on the right wing, he tried throwing a bounce pass to Ken at the free throw line, but Andrew managed to pick it off for a steal of his own and throw it up the court to a guard.

Hakuo ran down for a fast break, Luke the only man back against two Hakuo guards. They dribbled in, passing the ball back and forth between each other, until finally the one on the right went up for a layup. Luke planted his feet right in front of him after he jumped, making sure he was outside the half-circle underneath the rim, and absorbed the contact as he shot.

The ball flew into the basket, but it didn't matter. Whistle, offensive foul.

"Oh, that was close," Kari said quietly as the crowd cheered the disciplined defensive play.

"What was?" Yolei asked.

"See the half circle underneath the basket?" Kari pointed at the arc of paint. "A defender can't be standing in that circle and draw an offensive foul. If you're standing in that circle, it's always going to be a foul on you no matter what. He was almost in there."

Luke inbounded the ball to Ken, who took it up. TK walked up to the top to set a screen on Ken's defender, followed by Josh. TK set the screen on Ken's left, watching Ken dribble to his left to use it. TK waited a half-second, then spun and ran towards the basket.

"Here it comes," Kari said quickly.

Josh did a good job of staying between Ken and TK as both went to the basket, not letting Ken get a free lane while at the same time not giving TK the easy catch and score. Near the low block, Ken finally simply threw the ball up in front of the rim, arcing it well over Josh's head. TK rose up, grabbed it in both hands, and dunked it.

The crowd roared approval. Many of them were neutral basketball fans who just wanted to see good play, and that certainly qualified. TK pumped his fist a few times on the way down the court.

"There it went," Kari added. "Maybe this summer I'll teach him how to showboat."

"I can't imagine that somehow," Yolei said. "It'd look too weird."

Hakuo ran a pick and roll with Andrew and their point guard, but both Ken and Luke committed fully to the point guard when he came off the pick, closing the pincers in on a double team that prevented him from getting the pass off. He spun around, trying to find some way to get rid of the ball, until finally the referee whistled him for travelling when he picked his left foot up.

"I just realized something, those twins are sophomores," Kari mused. "If they can get some decent guards next season, that's a great team."

"That guy, over there," Yolei said suddenly, pointing across the gym at the second row, near the far corner. "I've seen him somewhere before."

"Huh?" Kari peered over. "Who?"

"Him, he looks like...I think I saw him in a soda commercial," Yolei said.

"Oh," Kari said dryly. "Riveting."

"No, I'm serious." Yolei bit the tip of her thumb. "Maybe...shampoo?"

"Yeah, get back to me when you make a breakthrough on that."

Davis used a screen to get open on the right wing, then rose up for a three that rolled in and out, over to Josh.

"Wait, no...no, that's not him." Yolei slumped over slightly. "How disappointing."

"Remind me to never take you to an NBA game," Kari said sarcastically.

"Huh?" Yolei looked at Kari dimly.

"You'll spend the whole game looking at the courtside seats. Hey, look, Bruce Willis is sitting next to Cameron Diaz!" Kari rolled her eyes.

.

Josh caught the ball on the low post, then froze, standing facing the baseline, not moving, the ball in both of his hands. TK stood there for a second, confused, thinking about trying to swipe the ball away. Suddenly, in a quick-twitch movement, Josh jumped past TK to the basket, when he laid in an easy, uncontested shot.

TK grimaced. How could he fall for that?

Luke inbounded to Ken, who took it up the court. Everyone got into position, and Ken got the ball over to Davis on the right wing. Davis dribbled around, his man sticking his right arm out, hand right in Davis's face.

In a flash, Davis rose up to shoot, swinging his arms up and making sure they collided hard with his defender's wrist, causing him to drop the ball on the way up. The referee whistled, a three shot foul.

"That was beautiful," Ken said to Davis as his defender ran over to protest the call. "That's a new one from you."

"Well, if he's gonna stick his hand in my face like that..." Davis said, heading to the free throw line. "Too easy."

Davis hit all three free throws in prompt succession, and Hakua took the ball up. Quickly, they got the ball on the low post to Josh again, but this time Marcus immediately applied a double team that made a move towards the basket impossible.

Josh shook around for a couple seconds, trying to find a route to the basket, but finally just tossed up an awkward hook shot that bounced off the back of the rim and was rebounded by Luke.

Ken caught the pass from Luke and led the offense up, calling for a screen as soon as he got to the top. TK set it, let Ken use it, then leaked out to the right side, forcing a switch, Josh now defending Ken and the point guard defending TK.

Ken dribbled around, forcing Josh to back up several feet for fear of Ken simply driving to the basket around the much slower Josh. Ken lunged forward, getting Josh to take another step back, then simply stopped and shot from the free throw line, so wide open it may as well have been a free throw.

The ball swished through, drawing a timeout from Hakua.

.

"Alright, it's time to fly!" Stewart called out, motioning towards Quincy. "Let's go!"

Quincy entered the game, subbing in for Marcus, stepping onto the court. TK shot Ken a glance for a half-second, but nothing came of it.

"Alright, let's shoot them out of the building!" Davis yelled as the referee blew his whistle. Hakua inbounded it and took it up.

The point guard tried to dump it in to Andrew, but Luke was able to front him and keep an entry pass. The point instead swung it into the corner to the small forward, and Andrew came out a few feet so he could get the pass.

He spun and faced Luke, who stood ready for his move. Andrew started to dribble with his left hand and drove towards the basket, Luke shuffling to keep up with him. Right in front of the basket, Andrew rose up with his left hand to scoop it into the basket, but Luke stayed right with him and managed to block the shot, sandwiching the ball between both of their hands.

The ball fell to the court as Andrew stumbled to the floor, Luke grabbing it and passing it to Ken as he ran back for it. Ken raced up the court, stopping when a fast break didn't materialize at the top.

TK walked down the court, setting a screen on Ken's man without even bothering to go down into the post. Josh froze in the paint as Ken used TK's screen, finally running out towards TK in a panic, surprised by the early pick.

Ken looped around the pick and squared up for a shot from fifteen feet out, getting Josh up into the air as he ran out and rose up to block it, then passed it to TK running free down the lane. Andrew rotated over in front of TK, and TK made like he was going to feed the ball to Luke for the layup. Quincy's man from the right corner ran in to attempt to foul Luke on the catch, so TK simply threw it over to Quincy.

Quincy caught, rose up, and fired a shot that sailed a foot and a half past the basket, right into the hands of the Hakua small forward. TK stood there for a second, looked at Quincy running up the court, then shook his head a couple times and ran back down. He felt his stomach tightening.

Again, Hakua went to Josh on the low post, TK defending. Quincy came down and immediately applied a double team, forcing Josh to pass it to the left-open small forward. He stood out on the right wing, like he was going to shoot a three, but he never launched, just standing there as Quincy came back out to defend him.

He tried throwing the pass back in to Josh, but TK read it like a book and jumped it to pick it off. He poked it forward and ran down the court, dribbling, finding Ken as he crossed half-court.

Ken drove towards the lane haphazardly, drawing two defenders, then threw it behind his back to Quincy on the right wing, wide open. As a defender raced over to try to get to Quincy, he calmly rose up, launched the three, and watched it swish through.

TK felt his stomach relax, and he jogged over towards Quincy on the way back down.

"Don't scare me like that," TK said. "You do that again I'll clock you."

"Glare from shiny backboard was in my eyes," Quincy protested.

"Yeah yeah," TK muttered, running down into the low post.

.

Josh spun around towards the paint, then went back to the baseline and looped in an easy layup past the jumping Vincent.

"We gotta get back out there, he's killing them," TK said quietly. "That's the third time in the last two minutes Vincent got scored on."

Ken nodded. Stewart called a timeout, the referee signalling both teams to go back to their bench.

"Alright, guys, good first half so far!" Stewart said. "Let's go small for these last two minutes! Remember, when we're on defense, the moment one of the twins touches the ball, you double! If their guards beat us, good for them, but do not let the twins beat us! The moment they touch the ball, you double!"

TK led the team onto the court, watching the opposing huddle. A minute later, it broke, and both twins came back into the game. TK immediately looked over at Stewart, then at Ken, but both shook their head.

TK went over to Ken and pulled him aside. "We can't do this."

"Sure we can," Ken said, smiling.

"Quincy is going to get murdered by Josh, just like Vincent was," TK said through gritted teeth.

"Neither of those twins have gone to the bench for a single second so far today," Ken said patiently. "We need to force them to the bench."

Ken walked off, TK standing there dimly, but quickly walking over to inbound the ball to Ken.

Ken took it up, TK wincing at the sight of Quincy standing next to Josh. But, as Quincy remained standing on the right wing, TK couldn't help but notice a look of confusion and discomfort on Josh's face as he ran past him to set up in the post.

Immediately, Ken drove to the right, passing by Quincy as he looped to the basket. Josh gave chase, running stride-for-stride with Ken as he ran to the basket.

At the last second, Josh planning a block, Ken threw it into the right corner, where Quincy was standing right open. Taking huge strides, Josh ran out towards him, hand up as Quincy squared up for a shot. Josh leaped high in the air, hand held up and out, as Quincy put the ball back down and dribbled towards the basket, right past the leaping Josh.

Josh reached out with his other hand, trying to block Quincy's path, a foolish and reflexive attempt. Josh ended up smacking Quincy in the face, knocking him to the floor, the ball rolling loose into the lane as the referee signaled a flagrant foul.

TK ran over to Quincy, who remained laying there on the court, hands covering his face.

"Crap, did your head hit the court?" TK asked immediately, peeking underneath Quincy's head to look for blood.

"No," Quincy said through his hands. "I'm fine. Hold on."

As the players milled around, Quincy finally reached his arms up. TK grabbed one of them and lifted Quincy to his feet. Quincy shook his head a few times.

"I'm fine." Quincy walked towards the free throw line. TK glanced over and saw Josh take a seat on the bench, replaced by a forward much more Quincy's physical match.

"You be quiet, you got lucky," TK said, pointing at Ken as Quincy got ready for his free throws.

"Luck has nothing to do with it," Ken replied tartily. "Is he alright?"

"We're about to find out, I guess," TK said, bending over and putting his hands on his knees.

Quincy hit both free throws, and Rakunan kept possession with the flagrant. TK inbounded from the side to Ken, who started dribbling around at the top as TK trotted down into the low post. He had to admit, the paint felt a lot more open with only one twin in the game.

Ken dumped the ball down to TK, and he immediately started backing Andrew down. He jerked right, then swung left and rose up for a short hookshot that bounced off the backboard and through the rim.

Hakua took it up, TK immediately signalling Quincy. Quincy ran into the paint and stepped in front of Andrew, while TK took up position behind him. The point guard froze up at the top, holding the ball above his head, looking for a pass in to Andrew that wasn't there.

The backup power forward went out to the other side of the basket, and the point guard finally, reluctantly, threw him the ball. Quincy immediately went out and guarded him, forcing the power forward to turn with his back to the basket.

He started to dribble, trying to push Quincy back towards the basket. After a couple of slow movements toward the basket, Quincy simply jumped backwards as he made another push backwards, momentum making him fall down backwards and lose control of the ball.

Quincy ran forward to grab the ball after his man fell down, taking off down the court. Around half-court, he lobbed a pass down into the paint, where Ken had ran ahead of the pack. Ken caught it and neatly laid it up before a trailing defender could come into the picture. One minute left, Rakunan up thirty-eight to thirty.

"One trick ponies," Ken whispered to TK on the way up. TK nodded.

Rakunan again doubled Andrew immediately, preventing any kind of entry pass. The point guard held the ball over his head for several seconds, then simply rose up and fired a shot from five feet behind the three point line with Ken's hand in his face.

The ball didn't even come that close to hitting the rim, and Quincy simply reached up to grab it as it fell down. The crowd held an awkward silence as Quincy stood there, then passed it off to Ken when Ken looped back for the pass.

Ken took it up, looking up at the clock. Forty-five seconds left as he crossed half-court. Without hesitation, he threw the ball to Davis on the left wing, then ran up and set a pick on Davis's defender.

Davis's defender was so surprised by the move, he didn't even attempt to fight through the pick when Davis took one dribble to his right, then rose up for an open three that swished through. The crowd applauded the surprise play that also generated an extra possession before the end of the half.

Hakua, clearly rattled, took the ball up slowly, again confronted by a fast double-team on Andrew that made any sort of inside pass impossible. The guards and small forward passed the ball around the perimeter, using up the shot clock, trying to find something they could do.

Finally, Andrew ran up and set a screen on Ken, Quincy following at TK staying at the low post. As soon as the point used the pick, both Ken and Quincy closed in on him, trapping him in a tight double team as Andrew rolled to the basket. Finally, the point guard attempted to basically roll the ball between Ken and Quincy, trying to get it to Andrew, but Derrick easily snatched the ball well before it got to him.

Derrick pushed the ball to Ken, who had taken off, only the shooting guard back on defense, the final seconds ticking off the clock. Ken drove into the lane, the shooting guard doing a good job of sticking with him. Ken jumped up like he was going to try a fadeaway jumper on the baseline, but instead threw a quick pass into the lane. TK had sprinted all the way up the court, and managed to snatch the pass and dunk it home with a second left in the half.

The crowd's applause went through the quick Hakua inbound and full-court shot that fell well short. TK raised his hands into the air. It had been a dream first half.

.

"Alright! Three minutes left in the third quarter, we look great!" Stewart called over the loud cheers of the crowd. "Great defense in those first five minutes! We're up by eighteen, if we can push the lead to twenty-five, I'll call off the dogs! You guys got that? We push the lead to twenty-five, we can go to our use the clock offense! Next three minutes, real simple! Two man game with Jason and TK! Jason has the ball, TK sets screens, read the situation and react!"

Derrick, Jason, Marcus, TK and Luke hit the court. TK immediately went over to Derrick.

"Alright, these guards. This whole Hakua backcourt, they're not very good," TK said. "But they are a little on the big side. They might post you up. If they do, don't panic, Marcus will double. Just don't foul. That's the only way they can get back in this game."

The whistle blew, and Hakua inbounded down on the other end and took the ball down to the Rakunan basket.

Josh went out along the left baseline as soon as he got into the post, and caught the pass from the point guard. He turned to face TK, who stood a couple feet back, anticipating a move.

Josh went right, dribbling towards the basket, TK shuffling to keep with him, forcing him further out and away from the basket, holding his hands to his sides. Josh kept pushing into the lane, sweeping past the left block and towards the middle. Finally, he rose up and tried a jumper while leaning away from the basket, but TK had successfully guided him right over to Luke, who neatly blocked the shot away over to Derrick. Derrick got the ball to Jason, and Rakunan dribbled up.

Jason stopped as soon as he got to the top, and TK immediately went right for the pick on Jason's right side. Jason used it, and when Josh didn't move to stop Jason from driving, he bolted right into the lane, speeding towards the basket.

Andrew came over to step in front of Jason, so Jason slipped over towards the left side of the basket, forcing Andrew further away from Luke, then bounced a quick pass to Luke, who rose up and managed to get the quick layup into the basket before Andrew could recover.

"Let's wrap this one up!" TK called out back down the court. "It's all about the formula!"

Hakua brought it up, again immediately looking for a postup with either Josh or Andrew. As the point guard prepared to throw an entry pass in to Josh, Marcus dropped back in front of him, sandwiching Josh between two defenders. The point guard nearly threw the pass anyway, then pulled it back and froze. Finally, he got it off to the small forward, now wide open along the left baseline.

Marcus ran out to defend him and TK swung out in front of Josh so a pass was still impossible. The small forward stood there, stock still, even as he had a second to throw up an open shot before Marcus closed in on him. Finally, he just threw up a shot over Marcus's raised hand, the ball bouncing off the near side of the rim. However, Josh had rebound position after TK's move to the outside of him, and bounced up to neatly snatch the ball and put it back in the basket.

TK shrugged as Luke stepped out of bounds and inbounded it to Jason. As soon as Jason got up to the top, TK ran up and set a screen on his right side. This time, Josh edged out to stop Jason's drive, giving TK just enough room to spin and run to the basket. Jason bounced him the ball, and Andrew immediately ran over to block TK from the basket, as Josh also came over to double to prevent TK from just going around Andrew.

TK immediately raised the ball up like he was just going to shoot over Andrew, getting Andrew up in the air with his hand up to block it. TK pulled the ball back, waited as Andrew started to come back down, then went up for the shot as Andrew was falling down on top of him.

The haphazard shot didn't even get up towards the rim, but the force of impact of Andrew crashing into TK was more than enough to draw a foul call. TK and Andrew fell to the floor as the whistle sounded, then slowly picked themselves up.

"You're not really fourteen, are you?" Andrew asked as he got to his feet.

"Afraid so," TK answered, getting up and brushing his arms off.

"Have fun playing under Calipari in three and a half years*, then," Andrew said, moving towards the side of the lane.

"He'll be suspended by the NCAA by then," TK said.

TK went over to the free throw line, swinging his arms around as the referee got ready to throw him the ball. He missed the first, then made the second.

Hakua took the ball up, again looking for one of the twins in the post, like clockwork. Luke continued to make an entry pass to Andrew nearly impossible, while TK and Marcus doubled Josh, leaving Hakua with limited options. They shuffled it over to the open small forward, who immediately rose up to shoot it before Marcus got to him on the left baseline, but even this open, routine shot clanked off the front of the rim and bounced out to TK. TK dribbled down close to half-court, then found Jason near the top with a pass. Again, TK immediately got up to set a screen, Jason bursting around TK, and Josh forced to step out to contain Jason's drive.

TK spun, ran to the basket, and caught the ball. He turned to the basket to see the chess pieces move. Andrew came over to jump in front of him, and the defender in the left corner sprinted over towards Luke, hoping TK would throw a pass without thinking that he could pick off. TK took one dribble in, then threw the ball into the defensively-vacated left corner, where Derrick had been left wide open.

Smoothly, Derrick jumped up and shot the corner three, rattling it through the rim, leaving Rakunan just three points short of the twenty-five point lead milestone they strove for.

Hakua rushed the ball up the court, and the point guard stopped and popped for a three at the top that bricked off the side of the rim to Luke. Luke got it up to Jason, who took off down the court.

TK went over to the right corner as Jason dribbled at the top. Jason's defender kept glancing over his shoulder, waiting for TK to set the pick that wasn't coming, and eventually Jason simply blew right by him into the lane.

The entire defense took a couple steps towards the charging Jason, and TK took off towards the rim virtually un-noticed. Jason saw the play develop and lobbed it over to the right side of the rim. TK rose up just as Josh realized what was happening, grabbed the ball, and threw it through the rim just as Josh smacked him in the chest with his open palm in a misguided attempt to block the shot.

Whistle, foul, three point play. The neutral crowd finally broke, making their allegiance no secret as they went wild over the play.

.

"So are we gonna have to go back in here?" TK asked. Steve had just fallen over trying to defend Andrew, giving Andrew a free layup.

"No, we're fine," Ken insisted. Five minutes were left in the fourth quarter, and Rakunan was up sixty-eight to fifty-two. "They can't score fast enough to make this deficit up."

Jason took the ball up to the top, then just stood there dribbling as the seconds ticked off the clocks. Every now and then, his defender would attempt to steal the ball from him, so Jason would turn around and use his body to protect the ball.

"As long as Jason keeps milking the clock and avoids turning it over, we're perfectly fine."

Steve tried to post up on the right block, but ended up slipping and falling down while trying to get post position.

"He's never gonna learn how to move in that body, is he?" Davis remarked. "Look at him, it's like a little guy in a big guy suit."

Jason finally made a move with eight seconds left on the shot clock, driving to his left, pulling up for a jumper on the left elbow as his defender skidded past him. The jumper fell short, hitting the front of the rim, Andrew grabbing it and hurling it up the court immediately. The ball was just out of the reach of the Hakua point guard, leaving the ball to bounce out of bounds and possession to go back to Rakunan.

"We got this," Ken re-stated. "Not enough time left. We should start thinking about tomorrow."

"Let's soak this one in for now," TK said. "Great all around game, y'know? Everyone did their job."

"Today wasn't really your day to dominate, but I hope you realize that tomorrow is," Ken said. "Barring a jaw-dropping upset, you know what we're looking at tomorrow, right?"

"I can score on him," TK said. "I can defend him. He's all flash, no substance."

"All he has to do is catch you out of position," Davis said. "Don't get cocky."

Jason ran a pick and pop with Vincent, who went out to the left as both defenders chased Jason to the right side. Jason threw Vincent the pass across his body, and Vincent rose up for the open fifteen footer that bounced off the front of the rim and to Josh.

"Especially when that's the guy backing you up," Davis added.

.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" Davis asked, looking at Yolei as TK fumbled with the room key. The five of them were standing outside a brown door marked with a 108 in gold letters on the front, at the end of a long hallway of similar doors.

"I was here at the game, I was here on the walk to the hotel, I was here for the walk down the hallway, why _wouldn't_ I still be here?" Yolei asked, moving her backpack off her shoulder and grabbing onto one of the straps.

"Well, no, I know...it's a four bed room," Davis said as TK popped the door open.

"Oh...well, if she can be here, I should be too," Yolei said, pointing at Kari.

"What does that have to do with the fact that we have five people and four beds?" Davis asked as the five of them crammed through the doorway.

It was a simple enough room, a nice living room with a couch bordered by two recliners in front of a small television on the left side, and a kitchen with basics on the right. On the far wall, there were two doors, presumably the bedrooms.

"Well, we have a couch, we can make do," Yolei pointed at the couch.

"All yours," TK said nonchalantly, setting his bag down on the floor.

"Hey, how does Kari get bed rights over me?" Yolei asked. "She's here for the exact same reason."

"I date the star player, you date his sidekick," Kari said simply, kicking her shoes off. "Simple."

"No fair! We should flip for it!" Yolei insisted, throwing her back down on the living room floor.

"Why would I flip for what's mine?" Kari said dryly. "Come on, you're only here because I taught you how to watch basketball."

Yolei sat down on the couch heavily, pushing down on the cushions with her hands. "It's not even a very good couch. Come on guys, how about a little chivalry?"

"Not a chance," Ken said immediately, opening the fridge. "No way."

TK shrugged. "Sorry ladies, not happening."

"I'm not even dating either of you," Davis said, peeking past Ken into the fridge as well.

"Well...come on, I'm a restless sleeper, I'm a mortal lock to roll off this thing in the middle of the night. You guys don't want me to hurt myself, do you?" Yolei whined.

Davis pointed at Kari and Yolei. "Catfight for it. It's the only way."

"Well..." Kari furrowed her forehead. "What if me and TK shared a bed?"

TK had opened one of the kitchen cabinets to investigate it, but froze at this. "Uhh..."

"Hold on," Kari quickly ran over to one of the doors on the far side of the room, popping it open and poking her head in. "These beds are bigger than mine, they can definitely fit two people."

"Well, I mean...I'm a pretty big guy, you know..." TK said slowly, scratching the back of his head and feeling his cheeks go slightly red. "I mean...I dunno-"

"Oh come on, what's gonna happen?" Kari shrugged her shoulders, putting her hands out at her sides. "What's the big deal?"

"Well...I mean it's one thing to...talk about it, but..." TK bit his lower lip. "...I mean, I guess..."

"Alright, it's settled, problem solved!" Kari clapped her hands together.

"Not so fast!" Yolei said.

"What now?" Ken asked.

"If TK and Kari can sleep in the same bed, then so can you and me," Yolei said, walking up in front of Ken. "Right?"

Ken's eyes went slightly wide and he glanced over towards the far well. "Well...I...that would...that would waste a bed. You know, a perfectly good bed, gone to waste...don't want that."

Yolei simply scowled at him, folding her arms over her chest.

"Uh..."

TK, Kari and Davis just watched the scene with bated breath, afraid to make any sudden moves or sounds.

"I...I really don't think what...TK and Kari do has any...any bearing on..."

Yolei remained silent, just glaring at Ken.

"Uh...Davis would feel left out!" Ken said, pointing at Davis. "You know, odd man out, we don't want that!"

"That's his problem," Yolei said quietly, still frowning at Ken.

"Well...I mean, there's a question of person distribution. I mean, do the couples...share one room and let...Davis have the whole other room? Because...because that would be unbalanced. But then, if we...have each couple get a room, where does...where does Davis..." Ken glanced from TK to Davis, who held their lips shut tight. "It's a...it's a..."

Yolei didn't say a word, just holding her glare and scowl.

"I...I suppose there's...we could do that," Ken finally finished weakly, glancing down at the floor.

"Oh, Ken!" Yolei said, breaking into a smile and walking forward to embrace him in a hug. "See? Was that so hard?"

"No," Ken said quietly, face red. "Not hard at all."

.

* John Calipari is a college basketball coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, widely considered one of the best college coaches in the nation, and known for producing NBA-ready players on his team after just one season of college play. He's also known for violating NCAA rules that result in his teams being stripped of prior achievements and/or restricted in future recruiting attempts, then leaving that team for another so he does not have to deal with the restrictions of the punishment.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

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"Well what do you want me to do?" TK asked, holding his hands out at his sides. "You think she's gonna listen to me?"

"I dunno, we should be able to think of something...what's an otherwise harmless disease or condition someone could have that would make them unable to share a bed?" Ken asked, looking around the bathroom walls.

"Dude, what's the big deal? What, are you afraid she's gonna do something while you're asleep? Come on, I'm doing it, you can suck it up." TK looked at the door. "Now can we leave? I don't need people asking me what I was doing in here with you."

"I don't really...like being touched," Ken said shiftily. "It's different, you and Kari are always doing the touchy feely huggy kissy stuff, cuddling on the bed, sleeping in the same bed is just a logical step for you guys. Ever notice how I'm never doing that stuff?"

"Well, you gotta start some time," TK said. "You might like it."

"I always...whenever someone else is touching me I...I kinda get nervous, I get these weird chills." Ken frowned.

"Then sleep on the other side of the bed," TK said. "Now, I'm going before this looks even more awkward than it already is." With that, he marched out of the bathroom, Ken following close behind.

"What was all that?" Davis asked, sitting on the armrest on the right side of the couch.

TK slashed his hand across his neck, looking at Davis.

"Right," Davis said, taking the hint. "So, how are we dividing up the rooms?"

"Do you still sleep naked?" TK asked.

"Better believe it," Davis said, grinning.

"Then it's settled," TK deadpanned. "Me and Kari get the room on the left, Ken and Yolei get the room on the right, and we call the insane asylum to have you committed, so you can sleep there."

"Come on man, it feels great, you've just never tried it," Davis insisted.

"Stop talking," TK walked over towards the couch. "Right, you can have the room on the right to yourself. As it turns out, I do negotiate with terrorists."

.

"I don't see myself sleeping tonight," TK said, standing right next to the right wall of the bedroom. "He's...in there, right now, on the other side of this wall, naked. The wall isn't even that thick!"

"Knock it off," Kari said, holding the top right corner of the blanket on the right bed up. "Get in here, don't think about it."

"Wait, let's switch beds!" TK said suddenly, pointing at Yolei sitting up on the left bed. "There's not enough space between me and that nudist over there, I want that bed."

"Forget it," Yolei said quickly. "Hey, Ken! Are you feeling alright? You've been in there awhile!"

"I'm fine!" Ken called from the other side of the bathroom door. "Just...go to sleep! I'll catch up with you later."

"Ken, get in here. Don't make me come in there," Yolei said, rolling her eyes. "You're an awful liar, I'm not even looking at you and I can tell!"

A few seconds later, Ken slowly opened the door and peaked his head into the room. "You have to promise you won't...like...do anything weird to me when I'm asleep," he said timidly.

"What would I do?" Yolei asked, pushing the left side of the blanket down. "Get in."

Ken looked to either side of him, as if he was looking for something that could help him, but finally slid forward and slowly sat down on the bed.

"Ken, it's not an ice cold lake you're getting in to, just slide in," Yolei urged. Ken slowly stuck his legs underneath the blanket, slid into a prone position, and put his head on the pillow.

"Right, there, I'm here. Now, I'm just gonna stay here on the right side of the bed, and you stay on the left side, and we should both be able to-AHH!"

Yolei pounced on top of Ken, then tugged him closer to the middle of the bed, keeping him pinned down as she slid him over.

"I have a better idea," Yolei said, wrapping her arms around him and rolling over slightly so they were laying next to each other. "How about you stop being a baby?"

"Uhhh...I really don't see how I can possibly sleep like this," Ken said, head darting from left to right.

Yolei reached up with her right hand and started slowly stroking her fingers through Ken's hair, lightly scratching his scalp. Slowly, Ken started to relax in her grasp.

"Huh, that...that's actually pretty good," Ken said slowly.

"Such a lovely couple," Kari said, patting the bed next to her while looking at TK. "Now, you don't want to be one-upped, do you?"

TK smiled, then slid into bed next to Kari. Immediately, Kari wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him close to her.

"I'll bet Tony Gomes doesn't have a girlfriend as awesome as you," TK said quietly.

.

The Meguro point guard caught the tip from the center and started to dribble up. Immediately, TK had his eyes glued to Tony as he sprinted down the court.

"You gotta be kidding me," TK said to himself as he went down to the paint.

During warmups, he had never really gotten a very good look at Tony since they were on opposite sides of the gym, but as Tony approached him, there was no mistaking it. While TK had grown about three inches since their last meeting, Tony must have grown five. Tony went down into the post next to TK, and at that point there was no denying it. The already freakishly athletic power forward now stood at six foot five!

TK followed Tony up to the top as he went up to set a screen on Ken. The point guard used it, and TK peeked at Ken fighting through the pick. He edged out just slightly, maybe a third of a full step, to keep the point guard from getting a free lane. Maybe just that little bit would-

Before TK knew it, Tony had spun to the rim and TK was a good step behind as the point guard lobbed him an alley oop that he caught and slammed home after a windmill. The crowd went nuts. TK winced.

"Don't do that again," Ken said to TK out of the side of his mouth as Luke inbounded the ball to him. TK nodded and trotted up the court.

Ken brought it up, the offense assembling for the first time. Ken called TK up for a pick, and TK went up to set it. Ken bolted around TK to the right side, and Tony stepped out to stop his drive.

TK spun and ran to the basket, Ken lobbing him the pass, but Tony was ready and somehow managed to leap high enough in the air to snatch the high pass, then immediately throw it down the court in front of the Meguro shooting guard.

TK and Ken made eye contact as the shooting guard laid it in on the fast break, then Ken ran up to get the inbounds pass from Davis, the rest of the offense staying up on the other side.

Ken brought it up, calmly dribbling at the top. Marcus ran in from the left wing and set a pick on the point guard, Ken used it to create a lane for him to drive into the paint through.

The center, also an imposing six foot five, stepped out to get in front of Ken, so Ken wrapped the ball over to Luke. Luke raised the ball up like he was going to shoot it, getting Tony off balance when he tried to jump, then bounced it to TK. TK went up for a layup as Tony's long, gangly arms reached over to smack him on the chest. TK managed to muscle the shot through the rim as the referee whistled the foul.

TK fell to the ground from the force of impact, but grinned to himself. Tony immediately put on a grimace of frustration. Foul trouble had already ruined his game once before against Rakunan.

TK got up, walked to the free throw line, and calmly sank his extra shot. As he fell back on defense, he saw Tony take the inbound pass instead of the point guard, then turn and start to dribble with a full head of steam down the court.

TK backed up down into the paint, the defense setting up as Tony crossed halfcourt. As he continued to speed past the three point line, everyone realized what was going to happen. Davis tried to step in front of Tony, but Tony neatly sidestepped him. Marcus thought about trying to stop him, but seemed to hesitate when he saw how fast Tony was moving and stayed back instead.

TK made his move just a fraction too late, trying to block his path to the basket just as Tony lifted off from about five feet from the rim. Realizing his feet were in the half-circle, he leaned back to avoid contact and prevent a foul just as Tony windmilled the dunk home.

The crowd was even louder this time. It was a rim rocker, and the crowd wanted more. TK could only stand there stupidly as Tony turned, pointed to the crowd on the left side of the court, and ran back down.

"Problem?" Ken asked him sarcastically as Luke stepped out of bounds to throw him the ball.

"Big problem," TK answered.

.

Davis came off the screen from Quincy, caught the pass from Ken, then turned and fired the three just as the buzzer sounded. TK watched the ball soar through the rim, the referee signalling the basket would count. End of the first quarter, Meguro up twenty-three to nineteen.

"Nice shot," TK said to Davis as they walked to the bench. "Heck of a shot."

"Not gonna mean much if you can't stop Tony," Davis responded.

"This isn't the Tony I know," TK said. "He's...bigger, stronger, nimbler...like, how can you get bigger and more agile at the same time? It doesn't make any sense! He's smarter too, it's like he's Tony's older brother."

"Well, can you stop him?" Davis asked as the two sat down on the bench.

"I...I mean, he's still limited, but he's so much smarter now. He gets you out of position, then he drives to the basket. He makes sure you can't draw an offensive foul, puts the pressure on you to get out of the way. If I challenge him every time he drives, I'll foul out in ten minutes, and he knows that." TK looked around. "He's a force of nature."

"That doesn't answer my question," Davis said. "Can you stop him?"

TK sighed. "We'll put him in foul trouble. He's still a little reckless. Not like before, but...it'll work. It has to."

"You can not be scared of Tony!" Stewart yelled. "That's how he beats everyone, he beats them before they even step onto the court! He scares people with his length, his size, his vertical, and the game's already over before it begins! You can not be scared of him! Clog the paint! Make him shoot jumpers! Make him work on defense!"

"I was thinking I'd quit the team after this season," a voice in TK's ear said.

TK spun around to see Steve sitting next to him on the bench.

"Huh? What?" TK asked.

"I was thinking about not going out for the team next season," Steve said. "I mean, I'm just making myself look like a dork out there, falling down all the time, can't do anything right. I'm a waste of a roster spot, and I know a ton of people are gonna try out for the team next year."

"Oh...well, you do whatever you feel is right," TK said slowly. This wasn't the conversation he wanted to have right now.

"So this could be my last game," Steve said. "I mean, this whole thing was a mistake. I'm tall, so I should go play basketball! Made sense at the time, you know?"

"Yeah...look, are you good to go? You're in for the next three minutes."

"I know," Steve replied, nodding. "I haven't done anything positive or memorable for this team this season. Thirty three games, nothing to be proud of."

"Well, don't...don't get...too down on yourself-"

"I'd like to change that," Steve said, standing up from the bench and walking onto the court. TK stared at him oddly, but got up and followed him.

The referee blew his whistle, and Steve was handed the ball underneath the basket. He inbounded it to Jason, who took it up the court.

TK ran up to set a screen on Jason's defender, and Jason darted to the right. TK leaked out to the left when both defenders chased Ken, and Ken got him the ball on the left elbow. TK rose up for the fifteen foot jumper that swished through the rim, cutting the lead to two.

Meguro took it up, Tony immediately getting into the post next to TK, then sprinted out into the corner before TK could react to catch an entry pass. The moment he caught it, he spun back around and ran right towards the basket, right at TK. TK tried to watch his torso, tried to predict which was he was going to go, but it wasn't like last time. This Tony was smoother, faster, quicker. When Tony spun toward the baseline, TK couldn't react anywhere near fast enough to move over and draw the charge, nor could he challenge the shot without fouling. He half-heartedly raised his hands up as Tony came around him, coming from underneath the backboard to put up a little layup-

Steve suddenly threw himself onto Tony, hands up towards the ball as their bodies collided, knocking him to the floor and sending the ball careening out of bounds. The whistle blew for a foul as Tony hit the deck, Steve managing to stay on his feet.

TK didn't want to look at the referee for fear of provoking the flagrant from him, but glanced out of the corner of his eye at the official. He breathed a sigh of relief when the referee signalled a normal foul.

The teams assembled on the sides of the lane as Tony picked himself up, shook himself off, and walked to the free throw line. TK glanced at Steve, but said nothing.

Tony hit the first free throw, but the second bounced off the side of the rim and over to TK. TK grabbed it, spun, and got the ball over to Jason.

Rakunan ran the offense up, Jason dribbling to the top, then waving TK off. TK watched as Jason dribbled to take some time off the clock, drove right, faked left, then went back right and left his defender in the dust as he went to the basket. He shot a short jumper just before Tony and the center were able to get to him, but he ended up rimming the shot short, the rebound getting grabbed by the center.

Meguro went the other way, TK running back as fast as he could as he saw Tony lagging behind. He went down to the low block, suspecting he knew what was going to happen but not sure how to stop it. As Meguro's offense slowly guided themselves up, Tony started to run past halfcourt.

Sure enough, the point guard simply got Tony the ball as he passed the top, and Tony didn't stop sprinting as he dribbled towards the basket. TK positioned himself in front of Tony, but held back tenatively as he waited for Tony to make a move. He thought he saw Tony's hips lunge slightly to the right, so he went that way, but Tony went left. No way TK was getting into the play without committing a foul. He could only watch as Tony gathered the ball and-

Just as he was putting the ball in both hands and jumping, Steve again ran over and smacked his hands at the ball, at the same time causing a full bore collison between the two. The ball bounced to the court as both players fell to the ground, the referee against whistling a foul on Steve. Again, TK was worried that the hard contact of the foul would draw a flagrant, but the referee signalled a regular foul.

TK ran over to help Steve up as Tony remained on the ground. Steve raised his hand into the air and TK grabbed it, pulling him up.

"You alright?" TK whispered to Steve, as Tony rolled over and pushed himself up.

"More than alright," Steve said. "I'm fine, he took the worst of it."

TK took his spot on the right side of the lane as Tony went over to the free throw line. This time, the first one clanked off the back of the rim. Tony took a couple seconds to gather himself, then made the second one. Steve stepped out of bounds and inbounded it to Jason.

This time, after Jason got the ball up to the court, he called TK up for a pick. TK came up and set it, and as Jason drove around him Tony didn't stop his drive. Jason blew right into the paint. A defensive mixup caused both the center and small forward to collapse on him, so Jason has his choice of open man, and quickly kicked it out to Quincy in the right corner.

Quincy faked a pass out to the right wing, up to Derrick, to get Derrick's defender to stay where he was and not run to the corner, then rose up for the wide open three that swished through.

TK saw the Meguro coach almost call a timeout, but decide against it as his point guard went up the court. TK waited on the low left block for Tony, who stopped around the left wing behind the three point line as the point guard dribbled down the clock.

Finally, Tony looped up to the top, then bolted towards the basket. TK stepped into the paint as Tony caught the pass, again watching his torso. Tony went right, and TK slid with him, trying to guide him away from the basket. But as they approached the half-circle, Tony spun and went back the other way, TK nearly falling down at the change of direction as Tony prepared to raise up for a dunk.

But it never came. As Tony went up, Steve came over to smack at the ball, the force of his momentum sending Tony to the ground once again. The referee whistled a foul, and this time Tony immediately scrambled to his feet, eyes on Steve as he got up.

TK quickly stepped between the two as Tony rose up to his full height, Steve unaware that anything was happening as he walked over to the left side of the lane. Tony and TK stared at each other for a few seconds, Tony peaking over his shoulder at Steve a few times.

"Free throw line is up there," TK said, nodding his head behind Tony.

Tony slowly turned around and walked back up to the line, throwing a glare at Steve again that Steve didn't seem to notice.

TK slowly stepped over to the other side of the lane as Tony turned around, catching the ball from the referee. He dribbled hard a few times, then threw up a free throw that was so hard it bounced off the backboard and didn't even touch the rim.

Tony winced in frustration as the ball bounced back to him, smacking it back to the referee. The referee bounced it once, then threw it back up to Tony, who caught it, dribbled twice, then took his second. This one bounced off the back of the rim and over to TK, who snatched it and turned to get it over to Jason.

Jason brought it up as TK went down into the low post. He could feel Tony pressing hard into his back as he took post position, fighting hard to keep him off the block. TK held his ground.

Jason lobbed TK the ball after using some of the clock, and TK started to dribble and push back against Tony. TK spun right and raised the ball up for a hook, and Tony bit hard, leaping as high as he could into the air with his hand up. TK simply spun back the other way and almost casually dribbled in once before rising up to dunk it. The crowd went nuts as Meguro's coach frantically called a timeout.

TK quickly went over to Steve and guided him back to the bench before a Meguro player could take the timeout to take issue with Steve's hard fouls, pushing him into a pile of energized Rakunan players.

"Great job!" Stewart called out. "We're not afraid of him! We are willing to challenge him! We have him rattled! We have him pressing!" He looked around. "Let's rotate! Great three minutes! TK, take a seat, Steve, take a seat, let's rotate the bigs! Great three minutes! No fear!"

"You're averaging over a foul a minute," TK said to Steve as they sat down.

"We all have different ways of contributing to a team," Steve said simply. "Maybe mine is getting the other team to want to kill me."

"Vincent!" TK called out. Vincent, who had just stood up from the bench, turned and walked over to him.

"What's up?" Vincent asked.

"If you can draw Tony into a second foul, he'll sit the rest of the first half," TK said. "I'm not telling you how to do it, but do it."

Vincent nodded, then turned back to the court.

"Steve!" Ken said loudly, high-fiving him. "That was nuts! Did you see his last two free throws?"

"I got five fouls, I'm making the best use of them I can," Steve said.

TK sat back and closed his eyes for a minute, opening them when the referee whistled play to resume. Meguro inbounded and moved the ball up, TK's eyes glued to Tony and Vincent.

After using some time, Tony got the ball on the right wing, then spun and went towards the basket. Vincent stepped up in front of him as he went into the paint. TK winced, but then Tony just...stopped.

He stood there, about ten feet from the basket, and dribbled between his legs a couple times. It looked extremely strange, Vincent standing there partially dumbfounded as Tony stood there. Finally, Tony rose up for a jumpshot, Vincent so surprised that he didn't even contest the shot. But it didn't matter, the shot bounced off the right side of the rim and Luke snatched it.

As Rakunan went up the court, TK managed to make eye contact with Vincent. TK mouthed one word, _scared_, and leaned back on the bench.

"What the heck was that?" Ken asked.

"Looks like Tony doesn't like tasting hardwood," TK said smugly.

.

Rakunan inbounded the ball as the third quarter started. Kari looked up at the scoreboard. Rakunan was up, forty-eight to fourty-four.

"Doesn't he ever get tired?" Kari said through gritted teeth as Tony dropped back on defense against TK.

"You seem nervous," Yolei said dryly.

"This game is getting testy," Kari said. TK caught the ball in the post, stood there for a second, then spun and fired up a fadeaway jumper that Tony didn't do much to contest. The shot bounced off the back of the rim and over to the Meguro center. "Tony's a time bomb, he could explode any second."

"Explode how?"

Meguro ran the ball down the court, quickly feeding the ball to their center on the right baseline against Luke.

"Either way," Kari said. "He's not used to someone standing up to him. He could score fifty points in this half, he could start a brawl and get thrown out...anything. Look at him, he's completely disengaged."

Indeed, Tony was just standing on the right block, TK defending him, not running around or weaving to try to get a lane to the basket.

"Someone's gonna slap him and tell him to get it together, and then what?" Kari bit her lower lip.

The center rose up for a baseline jumper, Luke's hand in his face, but the shot ended up bouncing through the rim anyway. Luke stepped out of bounds, snatched the ball, and threw it in to Ken.

Ken went up with it, TK again easily getting post position. Tony simply gave TK camping position right next to the paint, and Ken easily lobbed it in to him.

TK jerked to the right, and almost comically, Tony jumped high into the air as if he was trying to block a shot, so TK spun the other way and laid it in before the center could run over to double him. As the shot went up, Tony raked TK across the forearm with his left hand, drawing a referee whistle.

"It's coming," Kari muttered darkly, even as the crowd cheered and TK walked up to the free throw line.

"Hey, come on, that was a great play!" Yolei said.

"Look," Kari replied, pointing out at the court. The Meguro center was getting in Tony's face, telling him something, looking like he was upset about something. "Something's gonna blow."

.

Derrick dribbled the ball up to the top, the Meguro point guard not coming up to defend him closely as he got to the three point line. So Derrick simply stopped and rose up for an open three. The ball rattled through the rim, the crowd applauding the quick-twitch decision.

Two minutes left in the third, Rakunan up by seven. TK backed up until he was on the low block, as Tony sped over to the left baseline. TK remained where he was as Tony caught the pass and turned to the basket.

This time, there was no slowness or hesitation in his movements. Tony drove right at TK, went out slightly towards the paint, then faked a spin baseline before blowing right by TK to the basket. TK turned around just in time to see Luke jump to block the shot, only for Tony to get higher than Luke and dunk it down on top of Luke as the referee signaled a foul. The crowd went wild as Tony dropped down to the ground.

TK's shoulders sagged slightly as he realized he had been had, but he then slid over so he was standing on his spot on the lane as Tony went up to the free throw line. His free throw sank through, and Luke stepped out to inbound it to Jason.

This time down, the moment TK got within twelve feet of the basket, Tony was on him, keeping him from the basket and keeping an easy entry pass from coming his way at the same time. He had gotten his second wind.

TK fought for his position on the block as Jason dribbled around at the top, looking around at the offense. Finally, he did a quick-twitch drive to the right side, blowing past his man, and drawing a double team from the small forward from the left wing on his way into the paint.

He tossed the ball behind him to Marcus, who rose up for a fifteen foot open jumper, but the shot clanked off the back of the rim to Tony, who took the ball and rocketed down the court.

TK sprinted after him, but Tony was able to create a fast break opportunity, tearing down the court while dribbling. Marcus managed to get in front of him as he crossed the three point line, but things were happening so fast there wasn't much he could do. Tony froze for a split second, got Marcus to fall down trying to stop his momentum, then went into the lane and dunked it uncontested.

TK glanced up at the clock. Less than a minute left. Sighing, he watched Luke inbound to Jason, then walked back down the court.

Jason spent several seconds at the top, surveying his options. He called TK up for a screen, TK happily running up to set it, glad to get out of the paint for a moment. Jason used the pick and bolted around the corner, but the center ran up to swallow him up before he got close to the basket. Jason bounced it to Luke, who hot potatoed it to the corner to Derrick when Derrick's man ran in towards him. But Derrick's man was ready for the pass, and ran right back out to Derrick as he caught the ball, combining with Tony for a trap double team in the corner.

Derrick hugged the ball and stood there in the corner, looking around for some sort of way out. TK ran out to the left wing, edged towards the corner, and managed to catch Derrick's eye. Derrick managed to squeeze the ball out around Tony to him, getting the ball along the out of bounds line.

TK caught it and glanced up to see there were only two seconds left on the shot clock. Taking a glance around, TK rose up and fired the three, the shot clock buzzing as the ball was in the air.

Somehow, improbably, the ball banked off the backboard and went through the basket, sparking part cheers and part laughter. TK spun towards the crowd, holding his arm up in the air in a follow through motion, then ran back up the court grinning.

Meguro took the ball down, less than thirty seconds on the clock, the point guard coming up to the top as Tony darted down into the post, then back out to the wing, then out to the opposite wing...TK stayed around the basket. He knew he couldn't afford to exhaust himself chasing him around, just make sure he could stop Tony from getting to the rim once he had the ball.

Tony caught the ball on the right elbow with five seconds left in the quarter, and took off like a horse right towards TK. TK dropped down into a defensive stance, ready for Tony's move. He was back in slick, sneaky mode this time, hiding his movements until the last possible moment, making his most smooth and fast.

He went left, TK sliding to keep up with him, and tried to push his way into the lane. TK guided him to the other side of the basket, forcing him to plant his feet and rise up for a fadeaway jumper from the left block. As soon as he let the ball go, Luke came from behind him and smacked the ball away, blocking the shot as the buzzer sounded.

"Very nice," TK said, smacking Luke on the back as they walked to the bench. Tony had fallen to the ground and was sitting there, looking very frustrated and upset.

"He's not much of a passer," Luke replied.

"Yeah well, if he plays the whole fourth like he just played the end of the third, we're in trouble," TK said, sitting down next to Davis. "He's got his confidence back, he's a madman out there."

"Don't let him have free runs to the basket!" Stewart yelled. "That's his game! He's got nothing else! Take it away from him! You can not be afraid of him, or you've already lost!"

"We need to play our crunchtime lineup for the whole fourth," TK said, turning to Ken. "We need it."

Ken shook his head. "No way, we do that we'll be gassed for the last two minutes. Steve, you've got two minutes to start the fourth and two fouls to work with."

"If Steve fouls Tony hard again he's gonna start a brawl," TK protested. "And then Tony will score thirty points in the quarter out of anger."

"Or he'll foul out out of anger," Ken said. "It's worth the risk. Steve, send him to the line and watch your back for retaliation."

TK sighed. "I got your back."

"We need a good first two minutes," Ken said. "Derrick, Quincy, you're gonna get threes. Make them. Tony has three fouls, let's get him out of the game before crunch time."

"Let's make it happen," Quincy said, as TK lead four others out onto the court.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

.

TK saw Tony look at Steve as Meguro headed onto the court. Saw the recognition in his eyes. He looked back at the bench to Ken, but Ken simply nodded.

"At least my parents aren't here," TK muttered to himself as Meguro's center inbounded the ball to the point guard on the other end. TK bent over slightly in a defensive position as Tony made his way down the court. Eight minutes to protect a three point lead.

Quickly, the massive Meguro center got post position against Steve, and the point guard dumped him the ball. The center simply spun and put up an easy hook shot that went into the basket. TK grimaced. It was like these guys never got tired. Both of them.

Steve inbounded the ball to Jason, Jason turned up the court, walking the ball up. The Rakunan offense set up, and TK immediately came up from the post to set a screen on Jason's defender.

Jason moved to the right and his defender went underneath TK, so Jason simply stopped and fired up a three before either defender could get their hand up.

TK turned and was immediately boxed out by Tony, preventing him from getting down for a rebound, but the ball sailed through the rim. The crowd cheered as Meguro inbounded it.

Again, the center immediately got post position on Steve, so Quincy came down from the right corner to double and prevent the entry pass. Tony came around on the left wing and the point guard got him the ball. Immediately, he drove into the lane, right towards TK. TK squatted down and watched his hips as he came. He went to the right, so TK went with him and tried to guide him towards the other side of the lane. In the middle of the lane, he stopped on a dime and started to spin back left, so TK lunged, only for Tony to go back to the right and rise up for an easy layup as TK skidded away.

Just as he was about to let the ball go, Steve came over and clobbered him, hands up to smack the ball away as his body collided with Tony. Both players went to the court floor as the whistle sounded for a foul.

Immediately, TK saw Tony try to scramble to his feet, so he stepped forward in front of Steve. TK felt his stomach do a couple of flips as he saw the Meguro center also approach, but he held his ground.

Steve pulled up into a sitting position, looking up as Quincy, Derrick and Jason also quickly sprinted over to the scene. Soon, all ten players were gathered around each other, and Tony tried to push past TK.

"I just wanna talk to him," Tony grunted, trying to push past TK.

"Don't you have free throws to shoot?" TK answered, not letting Tony past him.

The referee immediately ran between the two teams, roughly pushing Tony and TK apart, blowing his whistle the whole time.

"Alright, that's enough!" the referee called out. "Next time I see something I don't like, I start calling technicals!"

Slowly, the two teams separated, and Tony made his way to the free throw line. TK helped Steve stand up, patted him on the back, then walked over to the right side of the lane.

Tony dribbled a few times, then fired up a free throw that clanked off the side of the rim. He grimaced, then shook his head as the referee bounced the ball back up to him. He took the second one, which bounced off the back of the rim and over to Steve, who somehow outfought the center for it. TK heard Tony give a yell of frustration as he went back up the court.

Jason took the ball up, dribbling around at the top, then dumping it into the low post to TK. Immediately, the center came over and swallowed TK up in a double team of six foot five bodies. TK spun around a couple times, managed to squeeze the ball over to Steve, and watched Steve turn and fire the pass to Quincy in the left corner as the small forward ran in to foul Steve.

Quincy squared up and fired a three as Tony sprinted out towards him. Somehow, incredibly, Tony lifted off and managed to block the high arcing shot of Quincy, while at the same time tipping it out back up the court, towards his shooting guard. TK couldn't help but appreciate the incredible play for a brief second before he hurried back up the court.

The shooting guard tried to run a fast break, but Derrick and Jason were able to hurry back and halt it, so he pulled up and waited for the offense to assemble as he dribbled.

He made to get it down into the low post to the center, but Quincy was dancing back and forth between the low post and the corner, threatening to steal any entry pass, so he instead got it to Tony twelve feet from the basket on the left wing.

He drove to the basket, spinning and putting his back to TK as soon as he got to him. He pushed back, TK holding his ground. He dribbled a few times, then spun into the lane, Steve running over to apply a double team-

_WHAM!_

Tony spun around in a whirl, elbows out, slamming his elbow right into Steve's forehead. The audience gasped at the force of impact. Steve fell to the court as the referee whistled and pointed down the opposite way, signaling an offensive foul on Tony. Tony immediately threw the ball down in frustration, and the referee whistled again. Technical foul on Tony.

TK knew if he even looked at Tony wrong, he'd pick up a technical too, so he simply crouched down on the court and looked down at Steve.

"Dude, you alright?" TK asked, pulling Steve's hands off his forehead to look.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Steve said, shaking his head as he sat up.

"How are you fine?" TK asked. No blood, no real sign of serious injury. "How? You just got slammed!"

"I guess I'm good at taking punches," Steve said, slowly standing up. "What happened?"

"Offensive foul, good job man," TK said, helping him to his feet. "Quincy, go shoot the technical!"

Quincy slowly walked down to the opposite side with the referee, as TK looked at the bench and waved Stewart off.

"You can stand?" TK asked.

"Yes, I can stand, I'm fine. It's fine, I can stay in," Steve insisted. TK slowly let him go, watching him stand there, then ran over to the bench.

"He's fine, somehow," TK said quickly to Stewart. "There's no blood, he can stay in."

"Should he stay in?" Stewart asked, peering over TK's shoulder with a concerned look on his face.

"He says he wants to," TK answered, looking up at the scoreboard. "We'll shift change in less than a minute, it's fine." He then looked over towards the five players sitting on the bench. "Whatever happens, do not leave the bench. If a brawl starts, whatever, don't leave the bench. You leave the bench, ejections start happening. Whatever happens, stay on the bench. If Meguro players start leaving the bench, then let them get ejected, but you guys stay put, got it?"

Ken nodded. "I'll keep them here."

TK looked down at the other end. Quincy squared up and shot a free throw that swished through.

"Five point lead," TK muttered. "We can do this,"

The ball was taken by the referee back down to the other end, and Steve inbounded the ball to Jason, who led the offense up. As TK went down into the low post, he felt Tony more easily give up post position this time. He was afraid of a fifth foul.

TK held his hand out for the pass, and Jason fed it to him. TK turned to face the basket, holding the ball in both hands, then drove towards the paint to his left. Tony stayed back a foot more than usual, almost giving TK a routine layup, before the center came over to block TK from the basket and put his hand up.

TK whistled the pass over to Steve, who snatched the ball and raised it up like he was going to shoot. The center leaped back over to Steve, who quickly fired it right back to TK, who rose up for a quick layup that banked off the backboard and through the basket.

Meguro's point guard brought the ball up, Quincy again immediately moving to double the center. But the point guard managed to fake a pass out to the small forward, drawing Quincy away from the post, then quickly fed it in to the center, matched up against Steve. As the center made his move, Steve simply smacked at his forearm, sending the ball bouncing away as the whistle blew for a foul.

"That's number five!" the referee announced, pointing at the Rakunan bench. "He's out!"

"Shift change!" Stewart called out, the entire bench for Rakunan standing up and walking onto the court, as the five who had been playing came over to take a seat.

"Nice minutes Steve," TK said as the two sat down. "Nice minutes,"

"Might be the last minutes," Steve replied, giving his head a good shake.

"Steve, if you come to tryouts next season, you'll make the team, I guarantee it," TK said. "After today, you'll always have a place on this team."

"Just come in for five minutes every game and foul the crap out of everyone?" Steve said. "It's a living."

"Go out for the team next year, you'll be here," TK said.

The Meguro center knocked down both free throws, and Luke inbounded to Ken.

"This lineup...jeez," TK muttered to himself. "Sooner we sub back in the better."

Ken was immediately trapped in a double team as he crossed half-court, Meguro amping up the defensive pressure. Ken picked up his dribble, then squeezed the ball over to Marcus, who ran up to get the pass.

Vincent ran up to set a screen on Marcus's defender, and Marcus used it, but the Meguro center ran up to double Marcus, forcing Marcus to pick up his dribble and hug the ball. He managed to shuffle it off to Ken, who dribbled to the right wing and looked around.

"It's ugly," Derrick muttered.

The shooting guard was much bigger than Davis, able to chase him around and swallow him up, even as he fought to get open. Ken kept looking for him, but it seemed like things weren't opening up. Finally, Ken simply drove into the lane for a layup, but was easily swatted away when Tony came over to contest the shot. The center grabbed the loose ball and fired it up to the point guard, who ran down the court.

TK winced. "Enjoy this rest right now, Quincy. It comes at a price."

Davis staved off the fast break, but the point guard quickly got the ball over to Tony, who pushed right into the lane with Vincent. He wiggled baseline as he got into the paint, Vincent bit, and Tony went back the other way for an emphatic slam dunk.

The crowd erupted as Luke inbounded the ball to Ken, who ran it up before he could get trapped at halfcourt, stopping at the top as the offense assembled.

Ken dribbled for several seconds, then motioned Vincent up to set a screen. Vincent came up, set it, and Ken ran to his right. TK held his breath as Ken's defender pushed past Vincent, but Vincent held his ground and didn't give the referee an excuse to whistle a foul. Both defenders chased Ken, so Vincent went out to the left wing.

Ken whistled him the pass, and without hesitation, Vincent spun and fired up the shot before anyone could get over to contest. The ball bounced off the front of the rim, but spun through the basket. TK clapped a few times, then glanced up at the clock.

"Next time we get the ball, call timeout," TK said to Stewart. "It's time." Stewart nodded.

Meguro took the ball up, once again immediately feeding Tony on the left elbow. He turned around and went right towards Vincent. This time, Vincent shuffled, keeping up with him as he went right through the paint. TK's knuckles went white as he held his fists together, but Vincent was just barely able to guide him to the opposite side of the basket without giving him a free dunk. Tony spun left, but Vincent moved right with the move and got his hands up, forcing Tony to try spinning back the other way. Luke was there, and blocked the shot just as it left his hands, smacking it over to Vincent, who grabbed it and hugged the ball.

"Timeout!" Stewart called, the referee whistling. "Alright, come on over!" Stewart waved his team over towards the bench.

"Nice round," TK muttered to Vincent. "Held the fort."

"Five minutes left, guys! Five minutes! Five point lead with five minutes left! We protect this lead for five more minutes, we go back to Rakunan on monday as conquering heroes! You give it your all for five more minutes, we got this! Get TK the ball in the post, if Tony picks up one more foul he's done! Tony is rattled! He's angry, he's confused, he's timid, he doesn't know what to feel! Strike while the iron is hot!"

"TK," Luke said, pulling TK over to the side, away from the bench. "If they double you, get me the ball."

"You sure?" TK said, looking out at the court. Meguro was filtering their players onto the far side of the court. "Those two never come out, how is that possible?"

"They're not even thinking about me scoring, they're ignoring me. I have to make them pay a couple times." Luke looked up at the near basket. "Get it to me, I'll score."

TK nodded, then turned to walk onto the court. Ken ran up to him.

"You get that fifth foul," Ken said quietly. "You get that fifth foul when we still hold the lead, we win this thing."

The referee blew his whistle, and Luke stepped out of bounds to grab the ball from him. He inbounded to Luke, and the endgame was on.

Ken took it up the court, Davis and Quincy on the far wings, Luke and TK in the post. The Meguro center was definitely leaning towards TK, ready for an entry pass. Ken dribbled around, faked a drive into the lane, then got it over to Davis on the left side.

Davis held the ball over his head, looking at Luke as he rotated over to the right side of the paint and TK came over towards Davis. TK ran out along the baseline and got open enough for Davis to get him the ball, then turned to face the basket. Tony stood right in front of him, and the center was backing him up on the left side of the paint.

TK dribbled in, away from the baseline, Tony sliding along with him and guiding him right into the double team. In the middle of the paint, he acted like he was going up for a hook, prompting both defenders to jump while the small forward ran in for the rebound, and TK threw it out to Quincy in the corner. Quincy looked at the basket as the point guard raced over to jump in front of him, then threw it up to the wing to Ken. Ken immediately drove towards the basket, and the center leaped out to block him. Ken bounced it in to TK on the right side, who spun and put up a hook. Tony came over and got his hand up to contest the shot, softly colliding with TK's body in the process. The shot fell short, and the Meguro shooting guard snatched the missed shot. TK waited for the whistle, but none came.

He almost shot a glare at the referee, but decided to not provoke him and simply ran back down the court. Ken blocked the progress of the guard into the lane, thwarting the fast break and giving time for both the defense and the offense to assemble.

Tony came up to set a screen on Ken, TK following cautiously. The point guard went around Tony and Ken fought underneath the pick, TK staying where he was, between Tony and the basket. The point guard, however, simply stopped behind Tony and fired up an open three. TK spun in time to see the ball rip through the basket. Two point game.

"Get that foul," Ken said quietly as Luke inbounded him the ball. TK nodded.

Ken brought it up, again surveying the offense. TK waited a few seconds, then ran up to set a screen on the point guard. Ken used it, Tony edged out just a tad, and TK ran to the basket. Ken bounced him the pass, and TK caught it just in time for the center to swallow him up five feet from the basket.

TK looked around, trying to find a way out. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the shooting guard running in towards Luke, anticipating the pass. So TK spun around, fired it out to Davis on the right wing, and watched him rise up for an open three. The ball bounced off the back of the rim, then the left side, then rolled off into the lap of Tony.

Tony turned and took off down the court, not bothering to feed it over to a guard. TK sprinted ahead of him, determined to not let him tie the game on a fastbreak dunk that would get the crowd behind him. The defense was able to beat him down, but Tony wasn't going to be deterred. He weaved between Ken and Davis up at the top and blew right towards the basket.

TK ran in front of him and tried to herd him away towards the baseline, but Tony was muscling his way to the rim anyway. Just as TK was able to go up for a block and hope for the best, Luke came out from behind the play and rammed right into Tony as his hand reached up to smack the ball away. Whistle, foul.

They both fell to the court, Luke nearly body slamming him but just managing to turn his body away so he hit the court next to him instead. Immediately, all the other players on the court ran over. TK ran over to Luke, quickly helping him stand up and pulling him away from Tony, but TK was relieved to see the Meguro players were instead gathering around Tony, half making sure he was okay and half making sure he didn't try to start something that would be worth a second technical and ejection.

"Nice foul," TK said quietly. "Be careful, he might try something."

"Hope he does," Luke said, grinning. "Get him out of the game."

"Be careful," TK repeated, walking towards the left side of the lane, and Luke going to the right.

Tony slowly got up and walked to the free throw line, not a word or glance towards anyone else. He turned, caught the pass from the referee, then sank the first free throw. TK looked up at the scoreboard. One point lead, three and a half minutes left.

Tony caught the ball, bounced it a few times, then shot it. This one bounced off the left side of the rim and sprang off, TK snatching the loose ball and turning to get it over to Ken.

Ken brought the ball up, slowly pounding away the seconds off the clock, eyeing the soft double both bigs were putting on TK. He dribbled to the right wing, then whistled a bounce pass to TK.

TK spun baseline as if he was immediately going to put up a shot, forcing the center to bring a hard double, then bounced it along the baseline to Luke.

Luke caught the pass, then quickly rose up to bounce it off the backboard just a fraction of a second before Tony could get to it. The ball banked through the rim, and Luke pumped his fist.

"Nice one," TK said on the way back up.

"I promised, didn't I?" Luke said.

Meguro raced their offense up, point guard stopping at the top and surveying his options. Tony met TK in the post, then raced out towards the left corner, then back to the elbow, where he caught the pass.

TK came up to guard him, so Tony spun to put his back to the basket and press his back into TK's body. He dribbled a few times, preparing to spin. TK tried to guess which way he would go, hands at the ready, spread out at his sides. Just as Tony was about to pick a side, Ken poked the ball free from his grasp and took off with it down the court.

Ken sped ahead, only his man in front of him. He weaved from the right to the left, trying to get around his man, the point guard frantically backing up to keep between him and the basket. After penetrating down into the lane and getting his man up in the air, Ken simply threw the pass behind him to the left wing, where Davis had run. Davis easily caught the pass, squared up, and fired the wide open three that rattled through.

The crowd roared their approval. They could sense a victor coming.

Meguro again ran up, clearly afraid of time running out on them, and immediately got the ball on the right elbow to their center. Luke pressed right up against him, giving up a good four or five inches in a height comparison to the center but not remotely afraid.

The center dribbled a few times, then spun right, trying to get around Luke, but Luke was able to keep in front of him and force him to pick up his dribble. The center pulled up for a ten foot jumper, but Luke got his hand up into his face, contesting the shot, forcing it to rim short. TK leaped up and stole the rebound from Tony, turned, and got it to Ken.

Ken ran the ball up, letting the offense form, all the while letting seconds tick off the clock. The point guard kept trying to poke the ball away, but Ken was an excellent ball handler, always knowing when to spin around to protect the ball. Finally, after several seconds, he threw the ball to Quincy in the right corner, who held the ball above his head before chucking it in to TK.

TK dribbled a couple times, then waved the ball out baseline before spinning away from it into the paint. As he put up a left handed layup, he felt Tony swatting at his shoulders, bringing both powerful arms down on him. TK managed to muscle the shot up anyway, and watched it rim through the basket just as the referee blew his whistle.

He immediately turned around and beat his chest a few times, even as he heard Tony grunt loudly. Ken ran up and high fived him, followed by Quincy. TK accepted both on his way to the free throw stripe, then turned to see Tony head to the bench.

A little more than two minutes left, protecting an eight point lead.

"We blow this one, they'll talk about it forever," Ken said to TK as he headed to halfcourt.

TK caught the pass from the referee, bounced it a few times, then swished the free throw through. Meguro's center snatched the ball, ran out of bounds, and threw it in to the point guard. The point guard raced up, got to the top, and immediately threw an entry bounce pass to the center when he got post position. Davis read this like a book and split off from his man to pick the pass off, easily snatching it and taking off down the court with it.

Davis raced down court, only the two other guards to beat. He got to the left elbow, did a spin to the right around one guard, then looked like he was going to go to the basket until he threw it back to the top. Quincy has chased the play, and caught the ball, immediately going into a shooting motion. Nobody was around to contest him.

Bottom.

The crowd stood up all at once, cheering the dagger three. TK looked up at the scoreboard. It was over.

.

"That is a team effort!" Ken called out from the front of the bus, pounding his fist on one of the seats. "That is how you win games at the highest level!"

"Dude, sit down before you die," TK said dryly. "We're flying at fifty miles an hour down a freeway, and you're standing up. Think about that, brainiac."

"Whatever," Ken said, but nevertheless he took a seat on the row next to TK. "But you have to admit, that was pretty great, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but my idea of celebrating doesn't include getting my skull cracked open." TK glanced out the window.

"Hey, Steve!" Ken called out, pointing off towards the back of the bus. "You are the meanest guy out there! Nobody scares us, because we've got you patrolling the paint! Nobody we play wants a piece of you!"

TK pulled Ken back onto his seat. "Calm down, enough with the cheesy stuff."

"Come on man, I thought you were getting into that stuff now, you wanna do it?" Ken asked.

"No, we're on a moving bus." TK rolled his eyes. "You're acting like Davis."

"I heard that!" Davis yelled out from two rows back.

"It was nasty, the way you drew that fifth foul," Ken said, almost giggling to himself. "Maybe Kentucky won't want the guy so much after what we just did to him."

"Little bit of an anger problem, don't you think?" TK said, crossing his arms over his chest. "He was one more hard foul away from throwing a punch."

"Gives him something in common with a lot of people," Ken said, shrugging. "You ready for Hinodai next week?"

"I dunno, I don't know them." TK leaned back in the chair. "I don't want to think about them right now, I want to enjoy the week, recuperate my body, and relax before I think about saturday. I just played a brutal back to back, and I'm exhausted."

"We all are," Ken said. "But, it was worth it."

TK smirked. "Yeah. Yeah it was."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

.

"Tony Gomes is certainly going to find himself at a major American college next season, unless he chooses another path in life for reasons that are currently well beyond me. But when he does, whoever is coaching him will face two major challenges. First, Tony absolutely needs a teardrop layup and a short-range jumper, or he'll find himself useless against strong defensive teams."

Kari scrolled her finger down the smartphone screen, sitting at the head of the lunch table, all the ten members of the team leaning in to listen to her.

"But more importantly than that, he needs a course in anger management." Kari looked around at the team, smiling. "This isn't the first time Tony has shown a propensity to let his anger get the best of him in a game and allow it to affect his performance, but never has it been so clear. And because of this anger problem, Tony gets to pitch himself to college programs in America with the last thing on his resume being "Lost in the second round of the district tournament". We picked Tony's Meguro Knights to make it to the district finals before losing, and we could have easily seen him making the national tournament. After all, Tony has never made the national tournament, and that would have certainly been a feather in his cap he would have appreciated having before heading to America."

"Look what you did, TK, you ruined his dreams!" Ken said jokingly, pounding his fist on the table. "Ruined them!"

"More than anything, we didn't think Tony would ever allow himself to be taken twice by the same team. And after the first quarter, we thought we were right, as Tony completely dominated those first eight minutes. But then, Rakunan sent in one of their big man reserves, clearly giving him a directive to foul Tony often, and foul him hard. Tony was sent to the court three times in three minutes and made two of his six free throws. He was rattled, and stopped driving hard to the basket, basically becoming useless. Finally, his teammates managed to get his head back in the game, but Rakunan went right back to fouling him hard again."

"I don't remember any directive," Steve said.

"The Rakunan reserve, named Steve, fouled him hard again in the fourth and nearly started a brawl. Later, Tony responded with a stupid offensive foul where he elbowed Steve in the face, then he picked up a technical. Luke joined in on the foul party as well, sending Tony to the floor. Tony is not a very good free throw shooter, but he seemed even more useless from there than usual today. Almost as if he knew Rakunan was sending him to the line because they thought he'd miss, and he allowed that to feed his insecurities. Meanwhile, as Tony was fighting with himself as much as he was fighting with the Wildcats, Rakunan kept on chugging out quality possessions, continually proving they are much more of a team than they were earlier in the season. Tony seemed ready to punch someone after a defense-offense sequence where the backup Rakunan power forward hit a jumper, then guided him on defense into a double team that resulted in a clean block of his layup. Not too long later, Tony picked up his fifth and final foul on a play where he absolutely should have gotten out of the way of TK and let him take a free basket. From that point, the game was over."

"Sure a lot of words for the losers," Davis said. "Come on, what about us?"

"I'm sure there will be another article," Kari said quickly. "Tony didn't have a bad game, and during the two runs where he was engaged he was the best player on the court. But those stretches where he was out of it were particularly jarring, and they didn't have to happen. He could have let his teammate, the six foot five center Jarvis, try to take control of the game when things didn't happen for him, but Tony instead let his anger control him and kept charging into the lane. It's one more thing for him to have to try to justify to Coach K, John Calipari, Jim Boeheim, or whoever else ends up being his college coach."

"You know, I really don't care about Tony Gomes," TK said. "He's got nothing to do with us, I'll probably never see the guy again."

"Come on. He got a little testy out there. You got a sense of satisfaction out of knocking him out," Kari said, nodding. "It felt good."

"Maybe, but now he's just another guy we beat," TK insisted. "I wanna hear what they think of us."

"They'll publish something down the road." Kari pocketed her phone. "We could always re-read their award article."

"That sounds like fun!" Davis said. "Let's do that!"

Almost on cue, the lunch bell rang.

"Maybe later," Kari said, standing up.

.

"It's later now," Davis whined, sitting on the floor of Kari's bedroom, legs crossed in front of him.

"You read it," Kari said, laying face down on her bed, next to TK who was face up. "You know how to read, right?"

"You read it better than me," Davis replied. "Come on, that's a compliment, it's supposed to convince you to do what I want you to do."

"You're awful, you know that." Ken entered the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "Girls probably have a website they all use, and there's a picture of you on it, warning all girls to never date you."

"Girls are lining up to date me," Davis insisted. "After all, what girl wouldn't want a piece of the best freshman shooting guard in Japan, best shooting guard in the district, and third best shooting guard in Japan?"

"Sounds like there's a severe lack of talent at the shooting guard position in Japan," Ken chided.

"Semantics!" Davis retorted. "You just wait, all I need to do is get a little bigger and there won't be a better 2-guard in the country."

"Best 2-guard who doesn't go within fifteen feet of the basket, maybe," TK corrected. "Do you even know what it's like in the paint?"

"Maybe I don't need to go near the basket, okay?" Davis hissed. "Maybe, if I got that close, it'd be so easy for me, I'd get banned from the league because it'd be unfair for everyone else. Ever think about that?"

"Sure, Davis, I'm sure that's it." Ken sat down on the desk chair.

"Just give us a scouting report already," Davis spat. "What do we got on Hinodai?"

"One word, gentlemen," Ken set his phone out on the desk in front of him. "Defense. They're the best defensive team by far in the district, maybe the best in the country. From top to bottom, they're the great wall of china in terms of stopping opponents from scoring."

"Break them down, sounds like we need to start planning now," Davis said.

"Point guard, Rick. He's big and strong, keeps opponents from driving to the lane. Not a great passer or slasher, but excellent three point shooter. Shooting guard, Dan, plays just like you, Davis. Runs off screens, catches passes, turns and fires open jumpers. He's not quite as good as threes as you, but other than that, basically the same guy. Small forward, Jack, big dude with long arms, Max Preps thinks he's one of the best perimeter defenders out there. Guy never lets you get an easy shot off. Always a hand in the face, always keeping you from driving. Good for a couple threes as well. Inbetween Jack and Rick, it's nearly impossible to get good shots or drive into the lane."

"Sounds brutal," TK said. "Down low?"

"Power forward, Perry. Defensively, dude can swallow up any post move. Great low post defender. Not a great rebounder, but doesn't really need to be. Offensively, he's got great post moves, but doesn't use them that often. He likes to shoot jumpers and threes, but it doesn't seem like he's that good at them. Don't leave him open out there, but force him to take those shots. Guy is fantastic, but a little lazy and unreliable." Ken tapped at the desk a few times. "And to wrap it up, they have a Luke clone. Their center, Jared, is the spitting image of Luke. Can't score, useless on offense, but blocks shots and grabs rebounds like you wouldn't believe. It's a killer defensive lineup from top to bottom. Every game they play is low scoring."

"We're gonna need our legs. Maybe we should have slow practices this week," Davis suggested.

"Yeah, I'll talk to Stewart," Ken said. "This is gonna be a slow game. I mean, this team, it's a true team. They play together. Nobody on this team averages more than fifteen points a game, but they keep on chugging out wins."

"We're a team too." TK sat up. "Now we are."

.

"This team thrives off of their ability to not need to double team," Stewart said, standing at halfcourt as the ten other players on the team were gathered around him. "If the team they're playing has an elite guard or small forward, they trust Rick or Jack to take care of him without double teaming. If they're up against an elite big, they trust either Perry or Jared to clean it up. Without double teaming, people don't get open, and without people getting open, you toss up prayers and hope for the best. We can't do that. They like playing close, low-scoring games. We have to find a way to put some points up so they can't keep up with us. Davis, this is your kind of game. You get the ball near the top, someone sets a pick, you take one dribble towards the pick. If your defender gives you even a second of open space, you rise up for the three. We're gonna get a limited number of open shots this week, so if you get one, take it."

Davis nodded. "If my man goes over top of the screen, I'll drive towards the basket. Get the screener's defender to commit and take advantage."

"If you get that, you have to move fast. If your man goes over the top of the screen, he'll be out of the play, but only if you get to the lane immediately. It's a chance to get the defense scrambling." Ken paced towards one of the baskets. "They're a jumpshooting team. They take a lot of threes, everyone on the team shoots a low percentage. Don't give them space on the outside. Luke, their center doesn't score any more than you do, if you need to feel free to double."

"I'm feeling smallball," Stewart added. "Lots of smallball. We're not penetrating on them, and scoring in the post is gonna be hard against them, so we need to throw up a lot of threes. They'll have a tough time guarding Derrick, Davis and Quincy. We'll put TK on Perry still, and Quincy can take Jared, since he doesn't score anyway."

Davis ran over towards the sideline and picked up a ball, running back onto the court while bouncing it. "Alright, let's test my draw speed."

The court cleared off, and Davis held the ball at the top. Jason came over to guard him, and TK and Luke went down to the low post. Davis started dribbling, and TK ran up to set a screen on Jason.

Davis took one dribble over, Jason fighting underneath the screen. Davis stopped and popped up, firing up the shot before Jason or Luke could contest it. The shot bounced off the back of the rim and off.

"They're going to stick Jack on you," TK said to Davis. "They're not afraid of Marcus, but they're afraid of you. Jack will definitely be going over the top of the picks."

Marcus was underneath the basket, and caught the missed shot, throwing it back up to Davis. Davis moved back over to reset, and started to dribble as TK set the screen on Jason.

Davis went to the left and Jason fought over the top of the screen, so Davis kept on driving right into the paint. Luke stepped out to stop him, and TK spun and took off. Davis quickly bounced the ball ahead to him, and TK finished at the rim a second later.

"Alright, let's run that play with five on five," Stewart said.

.

"I didn't get any homework today," TK said, staring at the wall behind his desk. "Or yesterday. Teachers told me to forget about it and just think about this weekend. They sure have their priorities in order."

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Kari said, coming over to wrap her arms around TK's neck. "I could go for some homework-free days."

"Probably not gonna get any the whole week," TK mused. "Kinda weird. These teachers, most of them, they don't take any excuse for not doing your work. But you bring a little bit of glory to the school on a sports team, suddenly...I mean, it's not like I'm gonna do this stuff for a living."

Kari nodded. "Well, you're not getting into college on academic merits, are you?"

"I could if I needed to!" TK protested. "And I still might, this...college basketball stuff, it's still up in the air, it really is."

"You've grown more than three inches since the season started. I see you standing next to Luke, you know. I'm not dumb," Kari said airily.

"Well, okay, but I'm still not counting on college basketball getting me into college," TK lied. "I might be done growing, you never know."

"You keep saying that, maybe one day it'll be true," Kari said.

Someone knocked on the other side of TK's bedroom door. "Come in," TK called out.

Nancy poked her head in, smiling warmly. "Hey kids, how's it going?"

"Great," they chorused.

"Hey Kari, your brother is gonna stop in tonight for dinner. He says he's doing something for his college's newspaper and wants to interview you," she said, stepping in so she could stand up straight.

"Oh, great, yeah I can do that," TK said, nodding. "How is the guy doing? I don't see him much."

"Still bouncing around from major to major, never gonna graduate," Kari said exasperatedly.

"He's a freshman, isn't he?" TK asked. "You can bounce around a freshman and still be fine,"

"He needs to pick something soon, financial aid won't help you if you don't commit to a degree." Kari looked over at Nancy. "Sounds good."

"Oh, and I just wanted to let you know, me and your father will definitely be at the games this weekend. Both of them."

"Both my games, or both my fathers?" TK asked dryly.

"TK!" Nancy scolded. "Me and...well, we're a long long ways away from talk like that." She went slightly red. "Besides, he says he finds basketball barbaric."

"Oh, I like him even better now," TK said sarcastically.

"He'll be here in a few minutes," Nancy said, stepping out of the room.

"Freaking Tai," Kari said under her breath.

"What's wrong?" TK asked.

"Of course he calls ahead to make sure your mom is here before coming over," she muttered.

"What? Him too?" TK said, standing up from the desk chair, nearly picking Kari up with him. "Seriously?"

"Oh, absolutely," Kari answered. "I heard him having dreams a few times before he moved out. I'm not even gonna tell you what he was saying."

"Great." TK's shoulders sagged. "Anyone else have a crush on my mom that I should know about?"

"It's a pretty long list," Kari said. "How long do you got?"

"Actually, I don't even wanna know. None of my teammates are allowed to see my mom anymore, new rule, I just created it." TK fell backwards onto his bed. "Jeez."

.

"Alright, so, first, I want to congratulate you for your great success so far this season. You're not just the talk of your high school. The college talks about you guys too," Tai began.

"Cool."

The four of them were seated around the dinner table, each having a large panini and bowl of tomato soup in front of them. Tai was seated to TK's left, and Kari to his right, Nancy on the opposite side. Tai had a notepad on the right side of his plate and a pen in his hand.

"So, one thing I noticed when I did some research, is that you, Ken and Davis played on the Rakunan Junior High team last season. That team was very good, winning almost all of their games, and you three were the stars. You guys made it to the district finals, and probably would have won if Ken didn't get injured in that game. So, given that, do you ever feel insulted that your success this year is considered a surprise and shock to so many people?"

"Oh no, not at all," TK said. "There's a huge, huge difference between JV and Varsity. There are plenty of great JV players who don't even make the Varsity team. Means nothing. Actually, I was five foot five last season, and had no plans to even try out for Varsity this year. I grew to six feet over the summer, that's the only reason we're even here right now."

"Really, interesting," Tai said, quickly writing some things down on his pad. "Obviously you made it to the JV district finals last season, so do you feel mentally prepared for the pressure of the Varsity district tournament this year?"

"It's completely different," TK answered, taking a sip out of his water glass. "I mean, consider, Junior Varsity doesn't have a national tournament at all. I mean, the out-of-district teams, we never even saw them. All our games were played inside the district, so it's much more contained, doesn't feel like the same level of competition. Here, you're actually playing against the best Japan has to offer. And you have a lot of players who are playing for a chance to be on a college team, so it's a lot more competitive. JV is sort of just to stay in shape."

Tai made some more quick notes. "Do you count yourself among those players, playing for a chance to be on a college team?"

TK froze, then slowly reached down for his sandwich. He grabbed it and took a slow bite as Tai continued to stare at him, swallowing his food down.

"Well. That's difficult to answer. My skillset is certainly that of a power forward, and there's not going to be interest in college basketball if I'm a six foot three power forward. Conversely, I could end up eight feet tall, convert to center, get scooped up by Kentucky, declare for the NBA draft after one season, go first in the draft, and end up being the most unstoppable offensive player in the history of the game. So, to answer your question, I don't have the first damn clue, and it's entirely up to what my body decides to do."

Tai wrote for a few silent seconds. "I can't actually use the word...damn in the paper, so I'm going to modify that quote slightly, that alright?"

"Sure." TK nodded, taking another sip of water.

"So, about twenty two points, twelve rebounds, four assists, a block and a steal per game. Fantastic numbers, particularly for a freshman. Of course, your statistics were down a little bit during the second half of the season compared to the first half. However, the team was considerably during the second half of the season as well. Can you talk about that for a little bit?"

"It's very important to play within a system," TK said simply. "You can look it up, my average over the first two tournament games are twenty points, ten rebounds, and four assists. A layman looks at that and thinks I'm wearing down over the course of the season, but that's not the case. I could average thirty points a game if I wanted to, and I don't say that to be cocky. I might be able to score thirty five points a game if I demanded the ball every possession and kept shooting, but that's not what it's about. It's about the system. At the beginning of the season, we only had two primary ways to score points. It was either me on the low post, or Davis running off a screen. So I shot more, so I had more points. Now that we've grown together as a team, we've integrated other scoring options. We have Quincy shooting threes, Derrick shooting threes, Jason slashing to the basket. We have more players who are part of the scoring, so I don't shoot as much, so my points go down. But my percentage goes up because I get to take higher quality shots because the defense is thinking about more things now. I've been shooting more jumpers, add some different looks to the offense, give the defense even more to think about. I do some pick and pop now, so I'm not as close to the basket sometimes, so I get less rebounds. As the season went on, I saw more double teams because people realized how good I was, so I passed to more open players, so I got more assists. It's all about the system. You have to play within a system, or you'll never win. Imagine if I took every shot. You think Davis, or Quincy, or Derrick, or Jason, or just about anyone would be happy with that?"

"Very good," Tai said, writing fast to keep up with TK. "I actually...can't write 'cocky' either, I know, stupid stupid censorship rules at the school paper."

"You modify all the quotes you want," TK said. "I trust you."

"So, for our readers who want to bulk up and be big and strong like you, what do you recommend?" Tai asked.

"A girlfriend who pesters you every day until you work out to her satisfaction," TK replied, looking over to smirk at Kari.

"Jerk," Kari said, taking a bite out of her panini.

"So, this weekend, Hinodai. I don't know how closely you follow Max Preps, but this is being hyped as a rivalry building game. Four of the five starters on Hinodai are either freshmen or sophomores, making them an interesting foil for Rakunan going forward. What do you make of that?"

"Well, not much," TK answered. "They're just another opponent, I've never played against them before. Max Preps can write what they will, but I don't even know what these guys look like, so I can't speak to any sort of rivalry. All I know is they're a fantastic team and they present a unique challenge for Rakunan."

"How do you feel about this team going forward. By which I mean, next year or the year after," Tai asked. "It's safe to say that, after all this success, obviously a few new players will join next season, and the season after, but what just in terms of what's currently on the roster do you think we'll see?"

"Well, I don't want to give away all our secrets obviously, but there's plenty of room for us to improve." TK cleared his throat. "I mean, we can count on all our players to just get bigger, which is hugely impactful on their defense and somewhat their offense. Luke is already a defensive pitbull, if he gets bigger it'll be even harder to score on him. I can tell you that Quincy will definitely be starting next season since Marcus is a senior, and you can expect to see his role, and game, get expanded. Jason, I think, is going to be a real wild card moving forward, and be a huge cog on this team next season, his talents are unique on this team. As for roster additions, well, we're allowed to have up to fifteen players on the team at once, so I imagine new additions will be easy to make."

"Alright, alright," Tai mumbled. "One last question. What's it mean? How does it feel?"

TK looked down at his plate for a few seconds, and Kari spoke up.

"Tai, you have to ask a better question than that!" she said. "I mean, that could mean anything, that-"

"At first, I was scared," TK interrupted. "You know, the thought of a couple hundred students, plus probably a couple hundred non-students who root for the team anyway, all hinging on you and what you do. Immediately, I was given this 'star player' mantle that I had to hold, meaning most of those several hundred people would be looking to me to perform. So yeah, at first, I didn't like it. I was afraid of messing up, and then I'd have several hundred people upset at me because I messed up in a game. But as time went by, I...I mean, the more I did it, the more I realized, I can do this. Like, I am naturally inclined to be good at basketball. I can keep going up, and up, and I can take all these fans with me. The thought of being able to...be named the best team in the district, bringing that glory to Rakunan...it's bigger than the fear of failing now. Now, when we play in front of our fans, I just let their cheers fuel me. Remind me what I'm playing for, that it's bigger than me, and I'm a part of it. Now, the thought of success is bigger than the fear of failure. So I just go out and play, and I try never to let an opportunity go by, because each opportunity I take advantage of gets me closer to the ultimate goal. And the chase for that goal is bigger than the fear of anything."

"Very nice," Tai said, nodding as he wrote. "Alright, I think I have enough for a piece."

"Hope I helped," TK said.

"Certainly. Good luck this weekend. Someone from the paper will be there, not me, but someone."

"I look forward to it," TK said simply.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

.

"Look at the arms on that guy," Ken said, looking across the court at Jack. "It's like Freddy Krueger."

The opposing small forward indeed possessed freakishly long arms. The kind of arms that made it very hard to penetrate into the lane or get off a clean shot.

"They're big," TK said. "All of them."

"Alright guys, remember, stick to the plan. It's going to be a low scoring game, so don't panic if that's the way things play out. We run a lot of perimeter screens, get our shooters open, and they fire away. If the shots don't fall, we keep calm and carry on, they'll fall eventually." Ken looked around at the rest of the starters. "Luke, TK, prepare for offensive rebounds, there might be a lot of them. Other than that...don't give them any space on their shots."

Both teams walked over to the center court circle, Luke and Jared entering the circle for the tip. The ball was thrown up, and Luke was able to tip it back to Ken.

Ken immediately went into a dribble, guiding the team up. He had to fight against Rick, who was much bigger than Ken, and used it to his advantage to keep Ken from having an easy time of getting to the top.

Ken managed to fight his way there, surveying his options. Hinodai had already switched on Davis, moving Jack onto him while Dan took Marcus. They were smart.

Davis sprinted fromt he right wing through the paint, going through two screens from TK and Luke to emerge on the left wing. Ken got him the ball as Jack was fighting through TK's screen, but Perry immediately ran up and engulfed Davis before there was any opportunity for Davis to get a shot off.

Jack had rotated onto TK, so TK ran back onto the low block with his hand raised, but Jack was able to use his impressively long arms to deny him any sort of pass. TK tried to move around to get into some kind of position to get a pass, but Jack wasn't having it.

Davis drove to his left, Perry sliding to keep up with him, then got the ball over to Marcus in the left corner. Ken darted from the top into the paint, a step ahead of Rick, and Marcus got him the ball at the free throw line. Ken took one dribble in and lofted a teardrop layup towards the basket, but Jared leaped out from the right block to smash the shot back to the top.

Rick chased the ball down, Ken and Davis sprinting back to stave off the fast break. Hinodai's offense came up, Rick dribbling at the top for a moment before bullying past the smaller Ken into the lane. Marcus ran in to guide Rick away from the basket, so the ball was kicked out into the corner to Jack. Jack rose up for the open three, but the ball bounced off the back of the rim and went to TK, who snatched it and got it to Ken.

Again, Rakunan was immediately met with tough resistance, nothing coming easy. Rick fought with Ken every step of the way up the court as Jack swallowed up Davis and TK fought for post position against Perry. There weren't any real options.

Davis ran out several feet from the three point line and Ken got him the ball. He managed to dribble back up to the right wing, behind the line, and TK ran up to set a screen.

Davis took one dribble around the screen, and immediately Perry came up to get right in his face. There was no shot to take. TK turned and ran into the lane, Davis lofting him the pass, but Jack was able to run back and use his long arms to tip it to himself.

Jack held onto the ball for a few seconds, then got it to Rick, and both sides went back down. This time, Rick threw the ball in to Perry on the left baseline, TK fighting to hold his ground as Perry pushed him back towards the basket.

In a fluid motion, Perry spun and raised the ball way above his head, TK shoving his hand in front of his face. It was a beautiful turnaround jumper, impossible to block by any measure. However, TK was able to do just enough to get it to bounce off the front of the rim to Luke.

"Rock fight," TK muttered to himself as he trotted back up the court.

.

"My parents are at this game, you know," TK said quietly to Ken. "This is not going to help their ability to enjoy the game, they're already on the fence as it is."

"Well, what do you want from me?" Ken shrugged. "I told you it was going to be like this."

With a little more than a minute left in the first quarter, the score was, embarrassingly, eight to six in favor of Hinodai.

"This is your fault, you know," TK said. "If you could shoot we wouldn't have this problem right now."

"Oh, quiet," Ken hissed. "You're not exactly lighting the world on fire either."

The referee blew his whistle, and Luke stepped out of bounds underneath the Rakunan basket to grab the ball. He inbounded to Ken, and Ken dribbled it up.

Jack was no longer hounding Davis, since Quincy had entered the game, instead opting to make life hard for him. However, Rick had rotated defensively to Davis, able to use his size and length to bother Davis much as Jack has. Dan, who possessed no great defensive prowess, had rotated to play defense on Ken, who wasn't a good enough shooter to make Dan pay. It was an incredibly frustrating defense to play against, giving Rakunan absolutely no good options.

Dan was playing several feet off of Ken, making driving through the lane near impossible. Ken dribbled around, at least thankful that he wasn't being engulfed by Rick anymore, as Quincy darted through a TK screen to emerge in the right corner. Ken hurled him the ball, but Perry immediately chased him out there and prevented an open shot. Quickly, Quincy dumped it in to the low post to TK, who had been left open momentarily.

TK caught the pass and glanced behind him to see the backup center come up to defend him, Jared having left the game for a breather. Feeling that Perry was about to rotate back down to double him, he immediately spun towards the baseline while dribbling, going right past the smaller defender. He rose the ball up towards the rim, pulled it back down, waited half a second, then rose up off his feet as he felt the center slam himself against his back.

As the referee whistled a foul, TK just managed to get up high enough to get the ball above the rim, slamming it home with a loud thunk as the crowd oohed and aahed the impressive show of strength. He hung on the rim for a second, then dropped back down to the court, as the other four players on the team immediately ran up to high five him.

"Nasty," Quincy said. "Filthy."

"I aim to please," TK replied as he walked up to the free throw line, both teams assembling on the sides of the lane.

The referee tossed TK the ball, and TK bounced it twice before swishing it through the rim. Rakunan retreated down on defense as Hinodai got their offense up, Rick sizing up Ken at the top.

Perry ran down to the low post next to TK, then ran up to the left wing. TK gave chase as Rick threw Perry the ball behind the three point line, and Perry squared up. TK got right up close to him, hand up and at the ready, but Perry threw up the three anyway, arcing it high over TK's outstretched hand.

TK spun around to watch the high arcing shot bounce off the back of the rim to Luke, who spun and fired it out to Ken. TK turned back around and ran ahead, Perry just a step ahead as he retreated on defense.

Ken crossed halfcourt, then threw TK the ball just inside the three point line, and the two power forwards began a sort of awkward dance. TK was not a natural slasher, nor Perry a natural slash defender, so TK oddly sort of ambled towards the basket as Perry clumsily ran backwards to stay in front of him. Suddenly, a few feet in front of the rim, TK spun to his left, blowing right past Perry, gathering the ball, and rising up to dunk it home. The _KER-CHUNK_ sound of the dunk got the crowd to their feet, cheering a long-overdue display of offensive prowess. TK ran back up the court, pounding his chest and pointing to the crowd.

.

"Alright, let's open it up a little bit, we're going small!" Stewart called out to his team. "Last three minutes of the first half, we'll run with it. If it works, maybe we bring it back in the second! Dan and Jack are both out of the game, now is the time for us to get some threes up and build a lead! We're up five right now, I want to be up by ten by halftime! Get good threes and take them!"

TK clapped, then turned to walk back onto the court, followed by Ken, Derek, Quincy and Davis.

"TK, stay on Perry. Quincy, remember, you're on Jared. Don't be afraid of his size, he's not a scorer, just front him. Double off him if you need to, we'll live with him taking some shots if we have to," Ken instructed. "Quincy, Davis, Derek, this is our chance. Jack is out, you'll never get better shots than you're about to get."

The referee blew his whistle, and down on the other end, Hinodai inbounded the ball. The defense set up as Rick took the ball down the court, sizing Ken up. He dribbled at the top for several seconds, then quickly rose up and fired a three with Ken's hand in his face. The shot bounced off the side of the rim to TK, who ripped the ball down away from Jared and spun to get the ball to Ken.

Ken guided the offense up, looking around as Quincy and Davis both immediately ran through screens in the paint set by TK. Quincy got some airspace on the right side, and Ken thought about throwing him the pass, but instead saw TK manage to get Jared into the post, and fed him the ball.

TK caught it, pushed his back into Jared, then spun away from the baseline and put up a hookshot over Jared's outstretch palm. The ball arced high and swished right through the basket.

"I'm playing a hunch," Ken said to Quincy on the way back down the court. "Bear with me here."

Hinodai ran their offense up, and Rick called Perry up to set a screen. Perry set it and Rick took one dribble to his right, then simply stopped and popped up for another three. This one sank through, cutting the lead to four.

TK stepped out of bounds, waited a second, then threw the ball in to Ken. As soon as Ken caught it, he signaled to TK before turning to go up the court. TK trotted behind him.

Ken managed to get the ball up to the top, and TK immediately set a screen on his right side. Ken used it, and Jared edged out slightly to stop his drive. TK spun to the rim and took off, Jared taking off with him as Rick managed to get back in front of Ken. Ken lofted the ball up to TK, getting it right over his left shoulder and into his hands.

TK dribbled towards the basket and put the ball forward like he was going to try a left-handed running layup. Jared flinched, but didn't go for it. TK spun away from the basket, now raising the ball up like he was going to put up a hook shot, and Jared bit hard on this one. He left his feet, raising his hand up to block the shot, and TK simply took the ball back into his grasp and spun back the other way, throwing up the left handed layup he had faked in the first place, bouncing it off the backboard and through the rim.

The crowd gasped, then applauded wildly. It wasn't often you saw a move like that in high school basketball.

Jared seemed rattled, but slowly stepped out of bounds to inbound the ball to Rick. Rakunan went back on defense as Rick brought the ball up.

TK saw Perry trotting behind Rick on the way up, no urgency in his step, and quickly ran up to the top next to Ken. Perry walked over to the left wing behind the three point line and stood there, Rick glancing over towards him as he dribbled the ball.

After several seconds, Rick got him the ball, and Perry simply spun and threw up a three as TK got his hand up in his face. The shot bricked off the side of the rim and slipped through Jared's hands, bouncing over to Quincy. Ken looped back to grab it, then guided the offense up the court.

Immediately, TK raced down the court, and Ken got him the ball as soon as he got to the left elbow. Without hesitation, he dribbled into the lane, going hard to the basket. Jared moved to block him, and immediately Perry raced in from the left corner to double. TK whistled the ball into the left corner, where Quincy had been left open, nobody close enough to rotate over in time. Quincy calmly raised up, fired the corner three, and watched it sail through the basket.

Timeout, Hinodai.

.

"Alright! It's working, let's stick with it! We open the third quarter with smallball again! We either make them do something drastic to combat it, or we blow this thing wide open! Two more quarters left! Still plenty of time for anything to happen! An eleven-point lead with two quarters left to play is nothing! Do not let up!"

Ken walked over to TK as he stood up from the bench, slapping him on the back. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," TK said, sweat streaming down his body. "Gonna finish this thing off. We get a good lead, they don't have the offense to come back."

"You still feeling it?" Ken asked.

"Yeah, I'm always feeling it," TK answered, wiping off his forehead. "Let's go!"

The whistle sounded and moments later, Hinodai was racing the ball up. Inspite of the sixteen minutes left, they felt like they were moving at a slightly frantic pace. Quickly, they dumped the ball to Perry on the left baseline, TK running out to guard him.

Perry spun to put his back to the basket, then started to push back against TK. TK fought right back, forearm out, keeping Perry from pushing to the rim. Perry spun away from the baseline, TK keeping right with him, forcing Perry to pick up his dribble by swiping at the ball, then getting his hand up as Perry spun back baseline and muscled up a tough shot.

TK turned and raced towards the basket as the shot hit the far side of the rim, leaping up and getting to the rebound just before Jared. TK hugged the ball for a second, then got it to Ken and went up the court.

The moment TK crossed the free throw line on the other end, Jared was on him, pushing and guiding TK away from the basket, waving his arms around to keep an entry pass away, doing everything but getting out a taser and using it to keep TK from scoring.

TK ended up going out to the left wing, just in front of the three point line, and catching a pass from Ken. He turned to face Jared, then started dribbling while driving towards the basket.

Jared got in his way, so TK gave him a quick forearm push back, then crossed over and went to the left. Jared kept with him, trying to guide him to the baseline, so TK spun back to the right, pushing past Jared. Perry ran in from the right wing and tried to box him in, but TK split right through the middle of them, slithering through the gap between the two large players. Jared slid over and put his hand up, but TK managed to bump him a few inches away with his behind, then rose up and dunked it emphatically. The crowd didn't even cheer. They were shocked into silence.

TK turned around and simply ran back down the court, everyone in the gym watching him trot back up. Finally, the referee blew his whistle, and Jared stepped out of bounds to inbound the ball to Rick.

Rick slowly took the ball up, then as soon as he got to the top drove into the lane. Ken was much faster than Rick, but Rick was able to use his size and strength to bully Ken back towards the basket. Quincy came up to double, and Perry raced out to the top. TK chased, a couple steps behind as Rick spun and whistled the ball out to Perry as he crossed the three point line. TK got his hand up as Perry fired, but this time the shot drained down, knocking the lead to ten.

Back on the other end, Davis and Derrick ran through matching screens being set in the paint by TK and Quincy, Derrick emerging open on the right side and Davis on the left. Ken fired it over to Davis, who spun and fired before the defense could get to him, but the ball bounced off the left side of the rim and popped up into the air. TK, down on the low block, spun around Jared and lifted off, grabbing the ball with his right hand and dunking it on the way down.

The crowd rose up and cheered, TK beating his chest a couple times again on the way down and pointing at the stands. Hinodai called a timeout before inbounding the ball.

.

"You're a monster today," Ken said, looking at TK sit on the bench, sweat dripping off his body in streams onto the seat and court. He handed TK a small towel, TK taking it and wiping his face off.

"Thanks," TK replied. "They're not going away easily." Two minutes were left in the third quarter, Rakunan up by twelve. "Every time I think we're about to put it away, they sink another three."

"Sometimes, things don't make sense," Ken mused. "That's what happens when humans get involved. I could never explain why you're playing so well today from an analytical standpoint, but...I'm watching it happen. You wanna take these last two minutes off, get ready for the fourth?"

"Better idea. I play these last two minutes, finish them off, and then I take the fourth quarter off." TK stood up. "End this thing now."

"Alright," Ken said, smacking TK's hand. "We're riding you. Stewart, give us two more minutes small, we'll finish it!"

"Smallball, let's go! Finish it!" Stewart yelled out, the small lineup running onto the court. The referee blew his whistle and handed the ball to Jared underneath the Hinodai basket. He inbounded to the backup point guard, and Hinodai marched up.

Perry was out, replaced by a much smaller and less imposing power forward. TK stood on the low post as his man ran down next to him, then ran back out towards the top. TK followed him as he set a screen on Ken's right side, and the point guard drove around him. TK edged out to keep him from getting the lane, and his man went out to the opposite side for a pick and pop. The point guard whistled the ball over to him, and he immediately squared up for a jumper.

TK sprinted over as soon as he saw the play materialized, and leaped as the shot was leaving his hands, getting his fingertips on the ball and blocking it away. Davis caught the ball, then immediately threw it back to TK as he raced down the court with the backup power forward.

TK caught the ball at midcourt and began another awkward dribble down, driving down the court with only one man to beat. His defender wasn't giving up, running maybe half a step ahead of him, trying to keep between TK and the basket. TK dribbled past the free throw line, looking like he was going to step in and lay it up. His man raised his hands in the air, still with his back to TK, in a foolish attempt to provide some kind of resistance.

TK suddenly whirled around and threw it to Quincy at the top, who had chased the play and was wide open behind the arc. He squared up, saw TK's defender lunge toward him, then hurled the pass back down to TK. TK caught it, spun to the basket, and rose up for the dunk as his defender slammed his forearms against TK's back.

Basket, whistle, foul. The crowd roared approval as TK turned and walked to the free throw line. He stood there for a second, facing the opposite basket, as the other players slowly trickled into place along the lane.

"Those dunks are gonna sap your legs," Ken said quietly to TK. "Ease up,"

"It's worth it," TK replied, pointing to the crowd. "My legs are fine."

Ken jogged back to halfcourt, and TK turned around to catch the ball from the referee. He bounced it twice, then fired the free throw up, nailing it. Hinodai took the ball up, again moving quickly, feeling the game slipping away. Ken got right up to the point guard, harassing him as he crossed halfcourt, making everything difficult for him.

As the point guard swung around, trying to spin his way to the top, Ken managed to poke the ball free, push it up the court, and then take off on a fast break. Two steps ahead of everyone else, there was nobody there to even contest him cruising in for a layup. A minute left, things about to get out of control.

The Hinodai point brought the ball up, quickly passing it over to Dan as soon as he crossed halfcourt. This time, they took this slow, determined to get a quality possession before the end of the quarter. Dan hugged the ball as Derek played defense, then slowly broke into a dribble and looked around.

He dribbled in, going around the smaller Derek, and got Davis to edge over to him to cut off his drive. He kicked it into the corner to Jack, who used the small amount of space to fire off a corner three that bounced off the back of the rim to TK. TK snatched it, held it for a few seconds, then got the ball over to Ken.

Rakunan moved slowly, less than thirty seconds left in the quarter, intent on using the entire rest of the clock on this possession. Ken dribbled at the top as TK trotted down into the low post. The moment TK passed the free throw line, Jared and the power forward both got right up next to him, Jared blocking his path to the basket as the power forward blocked an entry pass.

Ken glanced around, then threw a pass out to Quincy on the right wing. The moment he did, Dan raced from the right corner out to him, so Quincy threw it over to Davis. Dan spun back around and lunged toward Davis, so Davis threw it back over to Quincy. Quincy squared up and got Dan to fully commit to the wing, so he threw it back to Davis, who launched the corner three as the buzzer sounded.

Bang.

.

"That was amazing, sweetie," Nancy said, right elbow resting on the table and head propped up in her right hand. "I mean, really, you played an incredible game. I loved watching it."

"Thanks." TK plopped down on the couch. "I do my best. Man that was the best shower ever."

"You don't know the half of it," Ken said, sitting on the right fat chair, wearing a blue bathrobe. "What your son did today was inhuman."

"Put on clothes!" TK snapped, leaning his head up to look at Ken. "You're freaking me out."

"My bathrobe is cool," Ken said coolly. "Deal with it."

"Clothes!" TK repeated. "Don't make me get up and dress you myself, because I will."

"Oh that's disturbing," Hiroaki said, sitting on the opposite side of the table from Nancy. "Ew."

"I agree, put on clothes!" TK said, scowling.

"Anyway," Ken said, not moving from his spot on the chair, "I have no doubt Max Preps will have a lot to say about today, and they'll say it better than I can, but TK just scored thirty-three points and grabbed thirteen rebounds against the best defense in the district, if not the entire country."

"I kinda...hogged the ball a little, didn't I?" TK said uneasily. "Kinda."

"No, not at all. You did exactly what you needed to do as the star of this team," Ken replied. "You saw things were getting ugly, saw that nobody could score, and you put the team on your back."

"Not exactly following the gameplan though," TK admitted.

"Forget the gameplan," Ken said, smiling. "You singlehandedly broke Hinodai's spirit today."

"Feels like I broke my calves too," TK muttered, looking down at his legs. "Soreness doesn't even begin to describe it."

"Told you to stop dunking," Ken chided. "We have a game tomorrow morning, you know."

"I'll be fine for the game," TK insisted. "You worry about yourself, you know who's gonna be seeking revenge, right?"

Ken nodded grimly. John, point guard phenom, trying to win district for the third time in his high school career.

"We'll talk about that tonight." Ken turned to Nancy and Hiroaki. "You two staying tonight?"

"Oh, no, we'll head back home and come back for the game tomorrow," Hiroaki replied. "We, uh...wouldn't want to cram the place up more."

"Good, because the sleeping arrangements would be a calculus level problem," Ken said.

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright?" Nancy asked, looking at TK. "I mean, you think your legs hurt now, wait until you get up tomorrow."

"I'll be fine," TK insisted. "What am I gonna do, sit it out? No, I'll have all week to heal after this game."

"It sure is a nice room," Hiroaki said, standing up and looking around. "Matt never buys us anything this nice."

"Matt wants to make sure he's in TK's good graces," Nancy chimed in. "Oh, you should hear him talk about TK."

"Let me guess," TK snarked. "Duke Blue Devils."

"Oh, he's sure you're going to be playing college basketball in three years, honey," Nancy replied. "If you could bet on something like that, he would. He's well beyond that. Actually, he thinks that you're headed for a loftier goal. He thinks you're going to wind up in-"

"La la la la la la!" TK screamed, sticking his fingers in his ears. "Go home, both of you! Now!"

Nancy giggled to herself. "Alright, alright. Great game today honey! We'll be here tomorrow."

"Sleep well," Hiroaki added, heading to the front door. "Can't wait to see you tomorrow."

At that moment, one of the bedroom doors opened and Davis walked out, wearing a red bathrobe, hair still wet.

"Oh, not you too!" TK cried. "Come on, clothes people!"

"Stop whining," Davis responded tartily. "You're just jealous that you don't have one."

"Mooooom, don't leave me with these freaks," TK cried, reaching his arms towards his mother.

"You just told me to leave," Nancy laughed. "You boys play nice now." She got up and followed Hiroaki out the door.

Davis sagged onto one of the kitchen table seats as the door closed. "Aw. Your mom's not staying the night?" Davis asked.

"I'm gonna hurt you," TK said, pointing at Davis. "She's off-limits! Got it?"

"Hey man, I'm just wondering. I mean, she must be lonely at the apartment, y'know? You're here, so she's all by herself...alone...I mean-"

"You wanna get your skull caved in?" TK asked, raising a fist toward Davis. "Because I'll do it."

"Well hey, I gotta think about her, because apparently her son isn't," Davis said defensively.

TK sighed. "Ken, can you power on your laptop?"

"I checked my phone, the article isn't published yet." Ken looked over at TK. "I'll let you know."

"No, no, something else," TK said.

.

"So that about sums it up."

TK was laying back on a blanket in the middle of a grassy meadow, looking straight up into the blue sky, not a cloud in sight.

"So, if you guys lose tomorrow, the other team _doesn't_ take over the world, right?" Patamon asked.

TK chuckled. "No. Nothing like that."

"Then what's the big deal?" Patamon looked around the digital world. "When I lose, it means my home world might get destroyed by the forces of evil. What are you so worried about?"

"These sports, uh, big deal. People watch them, people get emotionally tied to the results, and...they wanna win." TK closed his eyes. "Some people get pretty crazy about it."

"Well, don't worry about them." Pataman flew up next to TK's head. "I don't understand everything about the human world, or the nature of humans. But I do know you've gone through enough stuff to know what really matters in the world. I mean, you've saved both worlds from complete destruction twice. Makes a game seem small, doesn't it?"

"It's not a problem of perspective, I have perspective," TK insisted. "That's not a problem. Well, I mean, I just...I really wanna win tomorrow. It would mean so much to the school. I love winning, I've learned to embrace it. But...today, I saw a trainwreck coming, and I averted it. I gave everything I had, I used every trick in the book, and I turned the tide of the game. Things almost got to a bad place today, so I took over. So now I'm worried, with my legs being as sore as they are...I'll have a hard time walking tomorrow. How am I gonna take over tomorrow with that?"

"It's an interesting question." Patamon thought for several seconds. "Do you remember six years ago, our first journey together?"

"No, the whole thing slipped my mind," TK said sarcastically. "I mean, stuff like that happens to me every week."

"Think about that experience," Patamon said. "We fought Devimon, and it looked like we were done, but then I singlehandedly saved the day. Etemon, looked like we were toast, Metalgreymon puts the team on his back. Myotismon had us beaten, then Angewoman shows up. So on and so on, different people saved the team and singlehandedly won us battles at different times. But then at the end, we finally got to fight the most powerful foe yet. And nobody carried the entire team to victory. It had to be a team effort. All of us, at once. Had any of us tried to carry the battle on our own, we wouldn't have had a chance. We learned to trust each other, trust that they would do their job when called on, and we ultimately managed to win."

"Hmm," TK said. "I'm impressed. That was deep."

"What are you implying?" Patamon asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing," TK said quickly. "But you're right. Man, this place is beautiful. Very, very zen, you know?"

"Yeah, it's a nice place."

TK tilted his head up to look behind him. Kari was standing there, smiling warmly.

"Oh, hey," he said. "Found me, did you?"

"Not that it's hard," Kari said, sitting down next to him. "Reflecting on things?"

"Yeah." TK nodded. "I think I got my answers though. There's a lot to being a star player, sometimes it's hard to keep track of all of it."

"Well, you do a great job of it," Kari said, patting his forehead.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

.

"We've written plenty about the Hinodai defense this season. We've marvelled at their ability to both play man-on-man defense and rotate on defense, always leaving their opponents blanketed. Four of their five starters are among the best individual defenders in the country, and combined they are a brick wall." Kari looked up at TK, who was slowly putting his jersey on.

"So much for that brick wall, eh?" TK said, slipping his head through the hole at the top.

"The most spectacular thing about this team is how young their players are. All five of the starters will be back next year, and four of them will be here for the year after that. Usually, elite defense is something gained through years of experience and playing with each other. Not in this case. We can only imagine how good they're going to be in the next couple years."

"Enough about Hinodai, jeez," Davis called out. "Get to the good part!"

"It's a buildup," Kari said. "I always assumed that, if a team did ever manage to defeat Hinodai's defense with an offensive attack, it would be through some extremely complex and precise attack. Something that involved an entire team, fine-tuned exactly to combat the defensive talents of Hinodai. A lot of misdirection, screens, ball movement, speed, and probably even some luck. I thought someone was going to have to climb over that brick wall. I never thought that the solution would be plowing right through it, Hulk-style."

"See? That's pretty good. I like the imagery there," Ken commented, putting his bag in one of the lockers.

"There was no genius gameplan on the side of Rakunan today. No amazing team effort that resulted lanes to the basket and open shots from the outside. Rakunan did not hire MIT graduates to concoct a way to beat Hinodai's defense. It was very simple. Takeru, their star power forward, simply went right at the defense of Perry and Jared down low. He didn't take advantage of holes in their defense or find a particular move that they weren't ready for. He just went right at them, muscled through them, and found a way to score. It's interesting, as TK is generally a finesse player who beats teams with post moves and layups. Today, he was a brute, a bully, pushing his way to the basket and dunking on Hinodai defenders." Kari cleared her throat. "It was a side of TK we hadn't seen yet, and we're happy we saw it. Thirty-three points and thirteen rebounds against the best defensive frontcourt pair in the nation, a pair that hadn't allowed an opposing power forward or center to score more than eighteen points all season."

"TK the stupid brute who uses his strength to beat opponents," TK mused, looking up at the ceiling. "I like it."

"Now, if we're talking about things in a big picture sense - that is, in the sense of looking at high school basketball players and trying to figure out what they can do in college - what happened today wasn't completely perspective-altering. Players who dominate the high school game solely because of strength, size, or brute force are actually players we at Max Preps generally stick caution flags to. These players depend on being bigger and stronger than everyone else on the court, and of course everyone in college basketball is big and strong when compared to high school. Often, we see players like this fail in college, since they don't have skill to fall back on when they no longer have the physical advantage. So TK's great skill in the low post means a lot more to us. However, more than anything, TK displayed a killer instinct and drive that was interesting to us. There is something to be said for taking over a game by force of will, and that's what TK did today." Kari put the phone down. "About time."

"I like it, I like it!" TK announced, bending down to touch his toes. "Alright gang, we're one win away from being kings of the district! If we all do our jobs, it's all ours. We've beaten Mita before, we can beat them again!"

.

"Alright!" Stewart yelled over the cheers of the crowd. The game hadn't even started yet, and they were already going nuts. "Championship game! One more game, and the district throne is ours! We beat these guys before, we can do it again! We win this game, they talk about it forever! These guys, they're gonna try to run on us! They wanna move fast, get fast shots, fast possessions. Do not fall into the trap! When we have the ball, we take everything slow! Take your time, find a high quality shot, and take it! We've seen this gameplan before from other teams, we know how to fight it! Mita's won all three of there games in this tournament by pushing a fast tempo and running the other team out of the gym! They'll try it again! Don't get sucked in!"

"Alright, starters!" Ken yelled. "Let's go!"

The five of them walked onto the court, hearing the loud cheers from the crowd as they did so. They looked across the court at Mita's starters did the same.

"We know how they play," Ken said, looking around at his teammates. "But they're better than they were the first time, just like us. Luke, their center has emerged since last time we played, guy runs the floor and scores. Don't let him. Thankfully, they don't have any amazing, knockdown shooters, but most of their players are decent. Still, if you have to double, double and live with the results."

Luke slowly walked into the center circle, the Mita center joining him from the other side, as the rest of the players gathered around. The referee entered the circle, holding the ball. He glanced at both teams, then stepped into the middle and threw the ball up into the air.

Luke tapped it back to Ken, who took it and went into a dribble. Everyone filtered down around the Mita basket.

Ken took it up to the top. This time, John played several feet away from him, back near the free throw line, down in a defensive stance. Ken dribbled around, watching Davis run through a Luke pick from the right to the left. Marcus's man jumped out from the right corner to the wing to prevent a pass, so Ken dumped it onto the left block to TK.

TK dribbled once, and was immediately engulfed in a double team by the center. With no alley to take to the basket and no jumpshot, he glanced around, pivoting around to protect the ball.

Up at the top, he saw Davis curling around, and Ken setting a pick on his man so Davis could get a couple steps ahead. Davis bolted for the lane, and TK squeezed the ball between his two defeners. Davis caught the pass, went underneath the basket, and did a reverse layup.

"You're getting doubled every time you touch the ball," Ken warned TK as they jogged back. "Count on it."

TK nodded as he went down to the low post. John brought the ball up, speeding to the top, immediately sizing Ken up.

John drove to the lane, speeding right past the outmatched Ken, who did all he could to stay in the play. Luke and TK both edged out towards him without leaving their man, and John simply went left and dribbled towards the corner, as if he was abandoning the drive to the basket.

As he got near that left corner, however, he swung the ball behind his back and hurled it underneath the basket. It happened so fast and suddenly, TK didn't even react as his man caught the ball, then spun around to lay it up. TK remained frozen to the spot for a second, then winced in embarrassment.

Luke grabbed the ball and inbounded to Ken. Again, John showed no fear of Ken shooting a three, sagging several feet off him defensively and giving Ken several feet of open space. Ken simply stood there for most of the shotclock, dribbling the seconds away. Davis came up to the right wing, and Ken got him the ball.

TK came up to set a screen, and Davis took one dribble to the left. The Mita shooting guard made the mistake of trying to go underneath the screen, so Davis popped up for the three. The shot bounced off the front of the rim to the Mita center, who immediately got the ball to John.

John turned and ran down the court, speeding past Ken and Davis as he crossed halfcourt. John's eyes were on the basket, driving right into the lane as Ken and Davis both tried to get in a position to contest the shot. Just as he crossed the free throw line, John threw a no-look pass to his right, where his small forward had run unnoticed by either Rakunan guard. He slipped in for an easy layup, neither defender getting terribly close.

Davis snatched the bouncing ball, stepped out of bounds, and threw it to Ken. Ken took it up, again in no hurry, as John gladly gave him all the space he wanted at the top. Davis curled around a screen on the left wing and Ken picked up his dribble to throw it to him, but John lunged into the passing lane and Ken had to pull the ball back in. Ken grimaced. John playing so far off him was cutting down on his passing lanes.

Marcus ran up to the left elbow and Ken got him the ball. Marcus spun to face the basket, pump faked, then rose up to shoot over his defender. John's right hand came in from behind him, slapping the ball away the moment it left Marcus's hand. To cap it off, John spun around Marcus, snatched the loose ball, and turned to run down the court with it.

Ken sprinted to stay in front of him, as the two lead a pack of ten high school basketball players down toward the basket. John got inside the three point line, then did a quick no-look pass to his right to his power forward. The power forward immediately tossed it right back to John as soon as the defense leaned his way, and John threw it to his left, where his center had run.

The center rose up to lay it in over a confused defense, still trying to figure out who had the ball and in no position to contest the shot. Luke grabbed the ball and threw it to Ken, who again slowly led the offense up. TK shot a glance over at Quincy on the sideline, but then returned his focus back to the game.

Ken dribbled at the top, then threw it to Davis on the left wing. Luke came up to the left elbow, and Davis threw him the ball. Marcus came up from the left corner and grabbed a handoff from Luke, using Luke's body as a sort of makeshift screen to get some space near the free throw line. He took one dribble in, then bounced it to TK, who caught the pass and rose up without taking a dribble for a six foot hookshot.

The shot was flat and bounced off the front of the rim. Mita immediately pushed the ball to John, who raced up the court even though Ken and Davis were both already back on defense.

He sped down anyway, running past the three point line as Ken and Davis converged on him. They were able to guide him towards the right baseline, away from the basket, but John simply whirled a pass behind his back to his trailing shooting guard, who caught it and got a layup off just before Davis was able to recover back to him. Eight to two.

Ken glanced at Stewart, but the head coach didn't signal a timeout, so Ken simply tossed the ball to Davis, who threw it back to Ken. Ken pounded the ball into the court as he jogged up.

When he got to the top, TK ran up to set a screen on John's right side. Ken pushed into the paint going around TK, but John was already so far back from Ken he was able to get around TK and get back in front of Ken before Ken could get to the basket. Ken picked up his dribble and looked at TK, who had run to the basket after John cleared him but had been well covered. John got up on Ken, preventing a shot. Ken had to turn around and lob it over to Davis, arcing it over Davis's defender, on the right wing.

Davis dribbled around as Ken ran back up to the top, and Davis threw him the ball. Ken turned to the basket, called Luke up to the left elbow, and threw him the ball. Luke stood there, back to the basket, as TK ran up and grabbed a handoff from him.

TK stopped there and rose up for a jumper, but it was again flat, falling short and bouncing to the center. Rakunan ran back on defense immediately, assembling as John raced down, forcing John to finally slow up and stop at the top.

John threw the ball onto the left wing to his fellow guard, then bolted into the lane, making a beeline for the left corner. The shooting guard threw the ball back to him as Ken trailed him, and John rose the ball up like he was going to shoot it. TK jumped out, and John slipped the ball into the power forward on the low block. There wasn't much TK could do as the power forward slipped the layup in, just past Luke's fingers, into the basket.

Stewart called for timeout, and the referee blew his whistle.

"How about that taser?" TK asked as Ken walked by him.

"Tell me about it," Ken spat, giving his head a quick shake. "Twenty eight minutes to go,"

"Alright, guys!" Stewart screamed, the crowd deciding to take the timeout to continue cheering. "Jeez, these guys won't give it a rest! Guys, offensively, we're doing everything we need to do, the shots are just not falling! Don't panic, stay with the plan, do not stray from the plan! Defensively, we need to protect the paint! We can not let them get free baskets at the cup! They will score every time if you let them get layup like that! Give them open jumpers if you have to, but you can not let them get open layups!"

"Shot a little flat?" Davis asked, looking down at TK's legs.

"Afraid so," TK admitted. "I'll adjust. Definitely feeling the effects of yesterday though. I'm fine."

"Quincy, you're going in!" Stewart pointed at Quincy on the bench. "We need more options on offense!"

Quincy stood up and clapped his hands a few times. "Alright!"

"It's on you guys," TK said quietly, leaning in towards Quincy and Davis. "I don't have my legs after yesterday, but they're still doubling me. You guys need to make your shots."

The four starters plus Quincy walked onto the court.

"Don't give them any clue that I'm gassed," TK said. "As long as they're throwing doubles at me, we'll be able to create offense anyway."

A few moments later, Luke inbounded the ball to Ken. Ken guided the offense up, again watching John play several feet off of him and cut down on his passing options.

TK walked down to the low block and was engulfed by both opposing big men, one fronting him and the other keeping between him and the basket.

Ken dribbled for a few seconds, then called TK up as he dribbled down to the free throw line. TK jogged up to the top and set a screen on Ken's left side. This time, with Ken much closer to John, the screen worked and Ken was able to get around the edge on the left side. Neither the power forward or John got in front of him, so Ken went right to the basket. The center came over, so Ken swung the ball around him to Luke on the right block. Luke quickly rose up and bounced the ball off the backboard with that same awkward, ugly shot, but it went in.

Rakunan sprinted back on defense, getting into position before John could hope to press for a fast break. John took it to the top and quickly got it into the low post to his center. Luke pressed up against the center's back as the center turned away from the basket. He faked a shot to his right, then spun left for a jumper, but Luke didn't bite, and got up to block the shot with his fingertips. The ball fluttered into TK's hands, who held it over his head away from Mita's power forward for a moment before shuffling it over to Ken.

Ken ran the offense up, stopping at the top, staring down John as he dribbled. Seconds ticked off as Davis ran from the right to the left through a Luke screen, Ken more than happy to waste as much time as possible. As soon as Davis got on the left wing, he darted right back into the paint and went through a TK screen. His defender was left utterly confused, and was lagging well behind when Davis popped back up on the right wing. Ken threw him the ball, and Davis spun and fired up the three.

It rattled through, cutting the lead to five, and again Rakunan wasted no time in getting back on defense. Nevertheless, John drove right over half-court and didn't stop, blowing towards the basket as if it was a fast break opportunity. He ran right past Ken, passed the free throw line, and bored right towards TK. At the last second, TK jumped in his path, planted his feet just outside the half-circle, and squared his chest at John.

As John rose up for a layup, he crashed right into TK's chest, sending TK to the floor with John falling on top of him. TK looked up as he went down and watched the ball bounce off the backboard and go through the basket as he heard the whistle. His back hit the floor and he immediately looked over at the referee, who was signaling an offensive foul on John.

.

Ken dribbled over to the right wing, John shadowing him from several feet away. He went towards the right corner, then bounced the ball behind his back to Quincy as he rotated up to the wing. Quincy spun as he caught the ball and launched the three.

The ball bounced off the front of the rim, popped up, and came down on the left side. TK spun around his man and jumped up, fighting the ache in his thighs to get up towards the basket and grab the offensive board. He tapped the ball back up to the backboard as the buzzer sounded, watching it bounce through the rim.

TK spun and pumped his fist as he ran over to the bench, following by his teammates, who mobbed him on the way.

"That's how you do it!" Ken yelled. "Twenty-four minutes left!"

"Good job guys, great job!" Stewart screamed over the cheering crowd. "Great second half of the quarter! We're right in this thing! Alright, Jason, Derrick, Steve, in! Ken, Davis, Luke, out! Penetrate, penetrate, penetrate! Get into the lane! Their bigs are soft! If you get into the lane on them, you get baskets!"

"Jason, they're going to switch John on you on defense. Try to stick a second foul on him," TK added. "You have the keys for the next six minutes."

"Let's go!" Stewart pointed out at the court. "We open on defense!"

"You're defending John too, Jason," TK said, walking over to Jason as he spoke. "Derrick, you're switching to the two-guard on both ends. Keep him out of the lane, Jason."

Jason nodded, looking up at the scoreboard. Mita was up nineteen to fourteen. "I got the keys for six minutes?"

"Door key, ignition key, trunk key, every key you want," TK replied. "Run it."

A moment later, the referee blew his whistle and bounced the ball over to the Mita center, who inbounded to their backup point guard.

"Switch," TK said from the low block, pointing at Derrick and Jason. "Switch back until John comes in."

Derrick rotated to the top to take the point guard, while Jason moved into position to guard the shooting guard. Without John in the game, Mita moved much slower, taking their time at the top. The power forward ran up and set a pick on Derrick, and the point guard used it. TK edged out to block his path to the rim and felt his man roll to the basket. The point guard bounced it to him towards the rim, Luke coming over to get his hand up towards the shot. The power forward swung the ball behind Luke's back to the center, who rose up for a quick layup before the defense could get close to him.

Steve stepped out of bounds, ball in hand, and inbounded it to Jason. Jason turned and walked up the court, bouncing the ball, offense assembling. TK walked down to the low block, getting eaten up by a double team by both bigs.

Jason stopped at the top for one dribble, then drove to his right, going right by the shooting guard with ease. He crossed over to his left to avoid the point on the right wing guard, blowing into the lane and getting towards the baskset as the center ran over to get in his way. Luke stepped up, using his body as a sort of barrier between the center and Jason's drive. Jason looped past Luke and rose up for a layup, the center unable to contest the easy basket.

"Own that paint!" TK yelled out as he ran down on defense. Mita again took their time getting up the court, dribbling up to the top and stalling. The point guard tossed it over to the shooting guard, who turned to look at the basket, stared at Jason, then started to dribble.

He lunged to his left, then went right, Jason staying right with him as he pushed towards the free throw line. At the left elbow, he stopped and picked up his dribble, raising the ball up like he was going to shoot it, but Jason didn't go for the fake. He brought the ball back down, then rose back up for a jumper, but Jason was right on it, leaped up, and blocked the shot with his fingertips.

The ball hung in the air for a few seconds, Steve snatching it as Mita got back on defense. Steve bounced the ball to Jason, who spun and down the length of the court.

Jason got to the top, and this time didn't waste a dribble on stopping. He went left, using his quick first step to blow past his defender. This time, his man managed to recover and get back in front of him, so Jason switched to his right hand and went to the left elbow. In one smooth motion, Jason stopped, rose the ball up into a shooting motion, and fired a jumper as his man fell to the court, slipping trying to stay with Jason. The shot swished through, the crowd applauding the impressive isolation set.

The referee whistled, signalling Mita had called a timeout. TK gave Jason a high five on the way down the court, glancing over to see John stand up.

"Here he comes," TK commented. "Good job."

"I'll get him," Jason said. "I got this."

"Alright, good start!" Stewart yelled out as the players on the court walked over towards the bench. "Good start! John is coming back in the game! Remember, when John is in the game, they run! Don't get caught up in it, and don't forget it! I got nothing else to say! Go out there and do your thing!"

"Jason," Ken said, standing up from the bench. "The wolf."

"Sure thing," Jason replied, trotting back onto the court. TK raised his eyebrow at Ken, who only winked and sat back down.

"Sure, don't inform me," TK droned. "I'll just be the dumb jock underneath the basket."

Mita didn't use the entire period during the timeout they could have, just hustling John into the game and calling for play to resume. The whistle sounded and John got the inbounds pass, turning to race up the court.

John didn't bother stopping at the top either, going from a jog to a sprint as he raced to his right, going around Jason and fighting towards the rim, as Jason attempted to herd him to the baseline. In a flash, John spun back to the left, leaving Jason in the dust as he swooped to the basket. TK shuffled his feet over, trying to get in front of John's drive, but this time John made a slight turn back to the baseline, allowing him to get some clearance around TK, rising up to-

_THUD!_

Steve came over from the other side, hands up to swat at the ball as he nearly body slammed John to the court. The whistle blew for a foul as John went to a heap on the floor.

John laid there for a few seconds, then uncurled himself and got up, shaking his head a few times as he walked to the free throw line. His teammates walked over to high five him, checking that he was okay.

"Nice job," TK muttered to Steve. "Nice."

TK and Steve took their positions on the sides of the paint as John got ready to take his free throws. He knocked both down, and Steve inbounded to Jason.

Jason brought the ball up, this time letting seconds tick off the clock as he dribbled at the top. John sagged off him a little bit, around the top of the free throw circle, waiting for Jason to make a move. In a flash, Jason drove left, John shuffling to keep up.

Somehow, without picking up his dribble, Jason swung his body back like he was going to spin the opposite way, but then smoothly continued left as John flinched back to defend the spin that never came. The crowd oohed and aahed the strange move as Jason swooped past the power forward for a layup that banked in, the power forward frantically swiping at him as he did so. The impact of his palms on Jason's left arm drew a foul, earning Jason a three point play.

"That's the way!" TK yelled as the crowd went beserk, slapping Jason's back. "That's how you do it!"

Jason just casually walked up to the free throw line to take his extra shot, turning, catching, and shooting without thinking about it. The free throw swished through.

John again ran the offense up, pounding the ball into the court purposefully as he got to the top against Jason. John passed it to the right elbow to his small forward, who spun and faced Quincy. John looped around to the right wing, then streaked towards the basket. The small forward handed the ball off to John as he ran by. John got to within six feet of the rim, but then saw Steve running over. John stopped, dribbled once, then spun back around to shoot a fadeaway jumper. Jason came in from behind the play and managed to swat the shot forward to Steve, who caught the ball and stood there as they cleared up the court. He handed the ball to Jason as he ran back to receive it.

Jason walked it up, John taking another large step back, close to the free throw line. Jason stopped at the top, looking at the five feet of space John was giving him. In one smooth motion, he rose up in a shooting motion, launching the ball towards the rim with nobody even close to defending him.

Swish.

Jason spun around as the shot sailed through, hand still in the air, bouncing down the court as the crowd cheered him on. TK ran down the court after him, nearly body slamming him with a chestbump.

"You're on fire!" TK roared. "That's the ticket!"

John looked angry as he dribbled it up, slamming the ball into the court, accelerating into a sprint as soon as he crossed half-court, turning slightly to the left to go around Jason. Jason shuffled to keep in front of him, and John spun back right violently. TK came out to jump in front of him, but John just kept going right by him towards the right block. He rose up for the layup-

_WHAM!_

Steve came flying in again, swatting the ball out of bounds as he slammed his body into John's, sending him to the court again. Again, his teammates ran in to check that he was okay as Steve quickly ran over behind TK.

"I can't fight all of them," TK said snidely, looking over his shoulder at Steve. But Mita seemed much more interested in checking to see that John was okay than seeking revenge on Steve.

John got up, seemed to shake off the impact, and jogged to the free throw line. After everyone settled down, John caught the ball from the referee, dribbled twice, and swished a free throw. He took his second, but this one bounced off the back rim and over to TK, who leaped up to snatch it.

TK swung it to Jason, who took off down the court. As he got to the top, John came up to guard him from less than a foot away. He saw the rest of the defense cram in slightly towards the paint, anticipating the drive.

Jason drove to the right, pushing past John. Immediately, the small forward sprinted in to jump in front of him, and Jason whistled the pass into Quincy in the right corner.

Quincy caught and instantly rose up into his shooting motion, left wide open, launching the three up. Swish. The moment the ball cleared the rim, the crowd went nuts. Timeout, Mita.

.

"He has a fireball coming out of his butt right now," TK said, sitting up straight on the bench, eyes locked on Jason dribbling at the top. John was crouched down in a defensive stance, waiting.

Jason took two big dribbles to the right in towards the elbow, then rose up for a jumper. John bumped into him as he went up, drawing a whistle from the referee, and Jason sinked the shot all the same.

Thirty seconds left in the half, Rakunan lead forty-five to thirty-five. Stewart had decided to keep the Jason-Derrick-Quincy-Vincent-Luke lineup in the game, since Jason was making everything.

"You never know when a guy is feeling it," Ken said sagely. "And when you do, you ride him."

"Well I'm more than happy to ride whoever I can. Thighs are killing me," TK groaned. Jason hit his free throw, and Mita immediately inbounded to John.

"I'm not counting on riding him the whole game." Ken rubbed his hands together. "And Mita's gonna make a push in the second half. This isn't over."

"I'm good for it," TK insisted.

John dribbled at the top for several seconds, then drove to his left. For a second, it seemed like John had blown right past Jason and was on his way to the rim, but then everyone realized the ball had been poked out of his hands by Jason, and Jason was now gathering control of the ball and racing down the empty court.

The crowd stood up, watching Jason soar through the open court as the final seconds ticked off the clock. TK could almost hear them take in a breath as Jason went up for the easy layup, then almost pop as the ball drained through.

As the buzzer went off, the crowd roared as Jason almost skipped off the court, looking to the crowd with a large smile on his face and fist up in the air. The entire Rakunan bench jumped up and ran over to mob him.

"Can we put halftime off for two more minutes?" Jason asked. "I can go another two minutes!"

"Heck of a quarter," Ken said. "You just scored seventeen points in eight minutes! Take a break!"

"Come on, you're gonna have halftime just now that I'm feeling it!" Jason yelled out. "Come on, I'm just getting started!"

"Thanks for the lead," TK said, patting Jason on the back. "We'll protect it."

Jason sat down on the bench heavily. "Aw man, forget that! Put me back in during the third, I'll...I mean...oh, snap." He gave his head a quick shake. "Ow. You know, my...now that you...my legs are...jeez."

"Adrenaline," Ken said, smirking. "You're all out of it. Take the third quarter off, try to juice up for the early fourth."

Jason nodded. "Yeah. I can do that."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27:

.

John swooped down the lane, stepping past Ken and lofting up a quick layup up towards the rim. It bounced off the backboard and through the net.

"Rotate on that!" Ken called out to Luke. Luke stepped out of bounds and threw Ken the inbounds pass. Ken turned and dribbled down the court. Five minutes left in the third quarter, the Rakunan lead down to eight. John had taken over, willing his team to close the gap that Jason had created. And really, Rakunan had a hard time stopping him.

Ken got to the top and dribbled around, John hanging several feet back as always. He went over to the left, then bounced the ball down to TK on the low block. TK stood there for a moment, opposing power forward pressing into his back, then whirled around and fired up a jumper while falling away from the basket.

He regained his balance in time to see the ball fall through the basket, then quickly darted back down the court. Mita was pushing the pace again, and John was off to the races as soon as he got the ball. Rakunan barely got their defense set up in time.

John pounded the ball into the court a few times, Ken down in a defensive stance. John lunged one dribble to his right and Ken shuffled in front of him, but John simply pulled back up behind the three point line. Ken fell down as John rose up to fire a three, and looked up to watch the ball sail through the rim.

Ken laid there for a moment, feeling quite silly, before jumping up to his feet and turning around to get the pass from Luke.

"Happens to the best of us," TK said casually as the two walked up the court.

Ken got up to the top, then casually dribbled over to his right. Davis shuffled from the right wing to the right corner as Ken approached him, then suddenly darted past his defender towards the basket. Ken bounced the ball in front of him and Davis caught it, snaking past the center and laying the ball in just clear of his fingertips.

John gave a yell of frustration as Rakunan sprinted back on defense, but nonetheless was more than ready to take the ball up for the possession within seconds. Hesitating only for a split second, John drove past Ken into the lane and drew the defense of Marcus to stop his drive. John simply threw the ball into the right corner, and the Mita small forward fired up a three that swished through.

Stewart called a timeout and motioned for the team to gather up around him. The five on the court quickly complied.

"They're chipping away!" Stewart yelled over the ambience of the crowd behind them. "They are producing every time John goes to the rim! They are getting something positive every time! We need to mix up our rotations! He thinks he knows how we'll react every time he drives! We have to change it! Be unpredictable!"

"Let's go small," Ken said. "Save Jason for the fourth. Me, Derrick, Davis, Quincy, TK. Their bigs aren't stellar, I don't know if they can hurt us that much."

"I'm good for it," TK said, nodding. "We need threes to keep up, hope you guys are ready."

.

Quincy caught the pass from TK on the right wing behind the three point line, then rose the ball up to fire. He got his defender in the air, then put the ball on the ground and dribbled right past him. He got up to the opposing center, then turned to face away from the basket and pressed his back into him. He dribbled twice, then spun to his left, past the slower defender. He rose up and squeezed in a layup.

"What was that?" TK asked, staring at Quincy as they ran back up the court.

"Unpredictable," Quincy answered, grinning.

John ran the ball down the court, sizing up a fast break before realizing three Rakunan defenders were back and pulling out back to the top. He dribbled there as the offense assembled around him, waiting. Finally, his center set a screen for him and he exploded towards the rim, around TK.

TK fell back quickly towards the rim as John drove towards it, Quincy running in to provide additional defense at the basket. John swung the ball across the paint to his power forward, who quickly got up and put the ball into the basket before the defense could recover.

TK turned around and looked up at the scoreboard. One minute and a half left in the third quarter, Rakunan up sixty to fifty-five. Mita kept whittling away at their lead.

TK inbounded the ball to Ken, and Ken walked the ball up. Rakunan was insistent on using the clock, frustrating the Mita offense by draining precious seconds away by just standing there. Ken got to the top and simply waited, dribbling down the shot clock.

Ken finally threw the ball over to Davis on the left wing. Quincy came up and set a screen on Davis's defender, and Davis took one dribble towards it. His man didn't get back in front of him in time, so Davis fired the three.

The ball clanked off the back of the rim but went right to TK, who fought through his aching legs to leap up to grab it. Immediately he whistled the ball into the left corner, where Quincy had immediately run after the rebound. Quincy caught and fired the corner three, sinking it.

TK felt his legs burning as he ran back down the court, but was determined to prevent any sort of fast break. John got up to the top, and this time stopped, letting the offense assemble and taking some time. After several seconds, he got the ball down onto the low post to his center. TK pressed up against him as he started to dribble, pushing back when he tried to push to the basket.

The center spun right, TK just a hair late following him. The center got up a quick layup, just beyond TK's reach, that bounced around on the rim and fell in.

TK stepped out of bounds and inbounded to Ken, who looked up to see thirty seconds left in the quarter. Ken guided the offense up, in no rush, letting the final moments of the quarter run by. TK got left post position and Ken got him the ball with six seconds left.

TK dribbled a few times, then spun to his left. This time, the Mita center tracked him to the baseline and forced TK into a short jumper. As the buzzer sounded, the ball bounced off the left side of the rim and fell to the ground.

"Jumper flat?" Ken asked, walking up next to TK as they walked back to the bench.

"Dude, I'm gassed. Jumping is a trial," TK said, wiping his forehead. "I've got nothing left in the tank, it's all left in the fuel line."

"Eight more minutes, man," Ken said as they went over to sit on the bench. "Eight minutes to protect a six point lead."

"Alright!" Stewart called out, then stopping to think for a second. "We start the fourth quarter with Derrick, Jason, Marcus, Vincent and Luke. We stick with that for as long as we can, maybe two minutes, then we play our best lineup until the final whistle! Jason, the offense is yours! Just protect the lead for two minutes! Defend your tails off, we have to hold them! Rebound, no second chance opportunities!"

"This is dangerous," Ken said to himself as the five previously mentioned walked onto the court.

"We've been training Jason for this all season." TK sat back on the bench and looked behind him at the crowd, catching the eye of Kari in the second row. He smiled and waved.

"Law of averages says he's going to start missing," Ken replied. "Hot streaks don't carry over that long."

"Like I said. We trained him for this. Now it's time for him to fly." TK nodded. "We need to trust the team."

"You're feeling pretty good right now," Ken said, leaning forward. "Wish I shared whatever it is you're feeling."

.

Jason dribbled the ball around at the top, the entire bench leaning forward and watching his every move.

"Whole year of practices comes down to this," Ken muttered as Jason suddenly plowed to his left around John.

Jason crossed over and made to drive to the rim, but ended up going right into the chest of John, who flew back to the ground. The referee whistled and signaled an offensive foul on Jason. TK winced.

"I never taught him to do that," Ken said.

A moment later, John brought the ball up, guarded by Jason up tight at the perimeter. Using only a few seconds to look around, John bolted for the basket, going around Jason and drawing the defense in to the paint. He looked to pass, but saw Luke hanging back just slightly, so he simply scooped the ball up through the basket.

"We need to sub now," Ken said, glancing up at the scoreboard. Four point lead.

"It's barely been thirty seconds," TK replied, looking over at Stewart, who made no signal. "Give it another possession."

"I got a bad feeling about this," Ken sighed.

Jason brought it up and dribbled around at the top, waiting for several seconds before signalling Vincent. Vincent ran up and set a screen on Jason's right side. Jason took the pick, driving around it and towards the basket as John hounded him. The defense collapsed into the paint on him. He got to right underneath the basket, and rose up as three defenders went up with him.

At the last second, Jason hurled the ball behind him at Vincent, wide open at the free throw line, who rose up for the jumper. The ball banked off the backboard and through the rim.

"How bout that?" Ken said quietly.

Once again, John charged down the court, weaving through Jason and Derrick as he crossed the three point line. He got down to the low block, spun around, and put up a fallaway jumper over Luke's outstretched hand that banked off the backboard and through the rim.

"Now. Now." Ken looked up at the scoreboard, reading six and a three quarters minutes left in the game.

"One more possession," TK insisted. His legs still ached, and while they wouldn't stop aching for days, every second of rest would count.

Jason took the ball up, Ken leaning even more towards the court. TK watched Jason stand up at the top, casually dribbling as seconds ticked away.

He threw the ball into Luke on the low post, then immediately ran over to the right corner. Luke couldn't wait to get rid of the ball and got it over to Jason when he got to the right corner. In a single motion, Jason spun around and threw the ball back up to the right wing, where Derrick had been left open by the shooting guard, who was watching the ball. Derrick squared up and fired off his shot, which rattled through the rim.

"I did teach him to do that," Ken said, smirking as Rakunan ran back on defense.

John, face a mask of determination, dribbled down and stopped at the top. Jason got right up on him, and after a few seconds Jason threw the ball over to his fellow guard on the left wing. Immediately, John sprinted to the basket, before Jason could react. The guard bounced him the ball and John took one big step through the lane before rising up and getting off a high-arcing layup over Luke into the basket.

Stewart immediately called a timeout and pointed at the bench.

"Alright, it's time!" Stewart yelled as the Rakunan players walked over to him. "Great job holding the lead there! Less than six minutes to go guys! This lead will disappear in the blink of an eye if you let it, so don't let up for a second! You guys know what to do, and I've got nothing to say to you guys, so just go out and execute!"

TK got up and walked onto the court, joined by his crunch-time teammates.

.

Ken patiently dribbled around at the top, John sagging off him. Davis ran through a screen set by TK on the right elbow, running to the left side as Ken got him the ball. Davis spun as TK's defender ran out to prevent a shot, but Davis was able to get just a flicker of an opening, so he fired off the three. The ball clanked off the front of the rim to the Mita center, who turned around and got it over to John.

John wasted no time in hurrying before Rakunan could get their defense set, slicing through multiple retreating defenders as he got into the paint. Quincy tried to slap at the ball, but John maneuvered away from him, to the left block, and squeezed a layup into the basket just beyond TK's reach.

TK gave his head a quick shake as Luke inbounded to Ken, then went down to assemble the offense. Ken again let the seconds tick off, down to five and a half minutes left, before dumping it down onto the left low block to TK.

TK dribbled, pushing back against his defender, but his zapped energy wasn't applying the same force he usually did. He couldn't get down to his spot, and a moment later a double team trapped him on the baseline with mere seconds left on the shot clock. Suddenly, Davis ran by him into the left corner, his man lagging behind, and TK lofted it into the corner as Davis ran there. He caught and fired the open three as the shot clock expired, but the shot bounced off the far rim and back over to the Mita center.

In a flash, John had the ball and charged over half court. If there was even a sliver of room to run, he would take it. This time, Ken got back in time to slow his dribble and force him into stopping at the free throw line. However, he merely stood there for a second before hurling a pass to his power forward, who had sprinted down the court ahead of TK, and given him an easy layup.

More than five minutes left, one point lead. Disaster imminent. Crowd going nuts.

Luke inbounded to Ken, and Ken slowly took it up. He motioned to his teammates, insisting that everything remain smooth and calm. He let seconds tick down, below five minutes, as he dribbled at the top, before bouncing the ball down to TK on the low block.

Once again, TK couldn't back his opponent down, but this time he committed sooner and swung to the right to run to the basket. His defender stayed with him and he was double teamed, so TK got it to Luke on the right side. Luke took one dribble to the basket to draw the defense, then spun around and fired it out to Quincy on the right wing. Immediately, as the defense ran out to him, Quincy hurled a long pass over to the left corner, where Davis was standing, free of defenders.

Davis caught and immediately fired off the corner three as the shot clock buzzed. The ball swished through the rim, and TK raised his hand in the air in triumph before running back on defense.

"Trust them," TK whispered to Ken on the way back up, before taking defensive position on the low post. Ken crouched down as John came up. Mita's offense took their time as well, letting the clock get down to five minutes. John swung the ball into the corner to the shooting guard, who stood there and jab-stepped as Davis stared him down. He made to fake a pass back up to John, but as he put the ball out, Davis slapped at it.

The ball bounced just an inch short of the out of bounds line, and Davis snatched it. Falling out of bounds, Davis spun and fired a quick pass to Quincy. Quincy got it over to Ken, who walked Rakunan up the court.

Time crawled by far too slowly for Rakunan. They wanted nothing more than this game to be over, but there was no getting around the four and a half minutes that still remained. Ken got the ball over to Quincy on the right wing casually, who faced the basket and pumped the ball up as if he was shooting. Stupidly, his defender jumped up to contest the shot, and Quincy drove right around him towards the basket.

As he got close to the basket and the opposing center closed out on him, he shoveled the pass to Luke on the low block. Immediately, Quincy cut past the center and Luke shoveled him the ball right back, allowing Quincy to rise up for an uncontested layup. Rakunan by six.

John led Mita right back, completely unafraid of the moment. Immediately, after a sizeup, John drove by Ken on the right, penetrating towards the lane. TK came out to force him baseline, so John whirled a pass to his power forward underneath the basket. The power forward spun and got a shot up, but Luke came over to block it right back. However, the ball flew right back to John, who caught it and shot it back up to the rim in the same motion, swishing it through in an impressive display of intelligence and athletic prowess.

Luke slowly stepped out of bounds, inbounding to Ken. This time, TK stopped at the high block, near the right elbow, and received the pass from Ken. He spun to face the basket, ball held in both hands up tight near his chest, glancing around.

He felt a slight wind at his back and immediately bounced the ball to his right. Ken darted past him, taking possession of the ball just a step in front of John and going to the basket. He snaked past the center and threw up a layup, but the power forward was just barely able to get over to block it on it's way up.

Mita took control of the loose ball and took off on the break, Rakunan just barely able to beat them down the court. John looped down to the baseline before dribbling back out to the top.

John dribbled, then drove left, Ken shuffling to keep up. John pulled up at the elbow and Ken's momentum carried him out of the play, allowing John to fire up an uncontested jumper that swished through. Two point lead, slightly more than three minutes left.

"How you feeling?" Ken asked as Luke inbounded him the ball, looking at TK.

"Fuel line running dry," TK said, dripping with sweat. Nevertheless, he jogged down the court as Ken followed.

As Ken brought it up, Quincy looped around to the right wing and Ken got him the ball. Quincy faced the basket and stood there, the offense getting into place around him.

Quincy faked a pass into the corner to Davis, and saw his man take a step out towards the corner. Without hesitation, he rose up and fired the three, largely uncontested. The ball swished through the rim, knocking the lead back to five. The crowd roared, all for anything that would make the game entertaining to watch.

The seconds ticking down on the Mita season, John didn't waste any of them running up on offense. He almost angrily pounded the ball into the court as he danced around, calling his center up to set a screen.

John drove around the pick, charging right for the basket as Luke and Ken were left in the dust. TK stepped out to stop him, but John simply threw the pass behind him to the power forward, who got the easy layup.

"Whatever's left in that fuel line, now's the time," Ken said as he got the ball from Luke.

TK nodded and trotted down as Ken dribbled up. TK got post position twelve feet from the basket on the left side, unable to push any closer. Ken waited for time to run off, then got the ball to TK. TK held it, then spun around to face the basket. He jab stepped, then took off to his left towards the baseline. His defender guided him there, anticipating the spin move back to the basket, but TK switched the ball to his right hand and sidled past him instead. An open lane to the basket, TK leapt up, just short of the rim, and set the ball through the basket.

Whistle. Timeout. The five Rakunan players on the court huddled up immediately, not bothering going to the bench, simply getting together on the court.

"Don't go to the bench," Ken ordered. "Don't sit down now."

TK glanced up at the clock. Two minutes left to protect a five point lead. Yet somehow, he still felt like the odds were against them.

"Alright, we just have to keep scoring. They can't catch up if we keep scoring, there's not enough time," Ken said, out of breath himself.

"No hope of stopping John I suppose?" TK asked wryly.

"I'm not counting on it," Ken replied tartily. "Let's just make the right plays. When they have the ball, they're going to be sprinting. A hundred miles an hour. Going to get off quick shots, be ready for it. They can't waste time."

"It's just like scrimmage, guys," Davis added. "I know it feels different, but it's no different than us scrimmaging in practice."

"If you play defense like you do in scrimmages over these next two minutes, I'll personally see to it that you have to walk home," Ken said. "Offensively, same gameplan. We use the clock, and we find a shot. Run the plays, I'll find you."

The referee whistled again as Mita's players ran back out onto the court.

"Alright, here it is." Ken ran back towards their side of the court. "Let's finish!"

Mita took the ball up, John indeed hustling his teammates up into an offensive set. Everyone on Rakunan played tight defense, John waving his bigs out of the paint so there wouldn't be anything between him and the basket except Ken.

John lunged left, then went right, Ken getting blown right by on the way to the basket. Luke attempted to sprint in and block the layup, but John expertly went to the opposite side of the basket and used the rim as a guard against Luke's hand, looping the shot in.

TK heard Luke groan. He had missed the block by a fingernail.

Ken took possession and walked the ball up the court, content to see seconds drain off the clock. The offense started zagging around through the paint, trying to get an open shooter the shake free. TK was absolutely spent, but knew there would be time to rest later.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, John ran forward and played airtight defense on Ken. Ken flinched, then picked up his dribble, and tried to get the ball over to Davis on the right wing. John was ready, however, and poked the ball free up towards halfcourt.

Both John and Ken raced towards the loose ball, but John was just plain faster, and got there first. Nobody was going to keep John from the free layup, as he easily swooped down the court with majestically large steps and laid it in.

One point game. The crowd popped. This was the championship game they had all been hoping for.

Slowly, almost dejectedly, Luke ran down to inbound the ball to Ken. Ken took it up, this time keeping an eye on John. John hung back on defense, several feet away from Ken, this time making no move to attack Ken's dribble.

In a flash of motion, Ken darted to his right and drove to the basket. John stayed right with him, and Ken crossed over from his right hand to his left hand behind John's back. Taken aback by the surprisingly move, Ken got a step to the rim and the center was forced to lunge out to him. Ken quickly fed the ball in to Luke, who turned and tried to put the shot up. John got in at the last second and slammed his arm down on Luke's. The whistle sounded for a foul.

TK winced, then went to the side of the lane. Luke just stood there in what seemed to be shock for a few seconds, then stiffly ambled up to the free throw line.

TK sighed. He was afraid of this.

Luke caught the ball from the referee, then bounced it three times on the court. He squared up, threw the ball up, and watched the line drive shot bounce right back to him off the front of the rim.

Luke punched the ball back to the ref, wiping his face. TK made eye contact with him and held his palm out to him in a comforting gesture. Luke paused, then nodded and held his hands out for the ball.

He caught it, bounced it three times, then fired up that same ugly free throw that seemed like it was mathematically destined to not go in. Yet, it rattled through, hitting the back of the rim and settling through the net.

TK pumped his fist and gave Luke a high five on the way back up the court. Luke grinned and nodded.

John sprinted down the court with the ball, signalling his power forward. He ran up to set a screen, and John bolted around it. This time, both TK and Ken executed a perfect trap on John, sealing off his dribble to either side and making a pass difficult. John swung around, trying to find a pass. The shooting guard looped back around to the top and John got him the ball, then ran back up next to him to get it back. Seventy-five seconds left, and John was clearly unhappy that this possession had been delayed by the trap.

John drove to his right, but Ken predicted it and was able to stay with him, herding him to the baseline, forcing John away from the basket. John got to the baseline and spun, going up for a fadeaway jumper, Ken going up to contest him. John seemed to peek down, hoping someone would have come over to double so there would be an open man under the basket, but no double game. He threw up the difficult shot, which bounced off the back of the rim and over to Luke. Luke pushed the ball up to Ken, who dribbled past half-court before slowing down. This time, John came right up to Ken and played tight defense, not letting Ken get so much as an inch of free space. Just a minute left.

Ken fought his way to the top, spinning around to protect the ball from John's prying fingers. Seconds ticked away as Ken managed to get to the top, John constantly attempting to pry the ball away. Ken made like he was looking around for a teammate, then suddenly stepped to the right and drove to the basket, getting a step on John.

As he closed in on the basket, the power forward stepped out to stop him, so Ken fluidly moved the ball behind his back as if he was going to toss it to TK. The power forward reached out to deflect the pass, but Ken pulled it back in just as he was going up. With nobody there to block him, Ken lofted the shot up and swished it through the rim.

Mita elected to not call a timeout, but if they had, nobody would have been able to hear it. The crowd went nuts as Rakunan ran back on defense. John took the backcourt in as few long strides as possible. Forty seconds left, and John didn't even bother stopping for a split-second at the top. He bolted right down the lane, past Ken. But Quincy was right there, leaping in front of him and forcing him to pick up his dribble. Frustrated, he swung around and got the ball back to the top to the shooting guard. He ran back up and got the ball back. Thirty-five seconds. Panic time.

John drove back into the lane, again drawing the defensive efforts of Ken and Quincy. John threw the ball to his small forward over in the right corner, but Davis was quick on the rotation and swallowed up the shot opportunity. The small forward stood there for a moment before firing out to the right wing, giving time for Quincy to recover defensively over to the shooting guard. John yelled for the ball and the shooting guard got it to him. Without stopping, John whistled the ball down to the left low block to his power forward. TK pressed up against him on defense as he started to dribble.

After just one dribble, TK's man went left to the baseline, and TK shadowed him. His man spun, and TK put his hands up in the air. He had nowhere to go, trapped as he picked the ball up, and quickly swung back around to try to shuffle the ball off.

John, clearly furious with this possession, sprinted over to receive the pass from his teammate, then drove fiercely towards the rim. Ken attempted to herd him to the baseline, but John's crossover got him moving back towards the goal. Luke went up for the block, but John took an extra dribble beyond the Rakunan defensive stalwart and rose up for an easy layup.

Rakunan by two, sixteen seconds left. Stewart yelled out for a timeout, and the referee blew his whistle. Immediately, all five Rakunan players sprinted over towards the bench, fighting the urge to collapse on it as they huddled around Stewart.

"We've still got this!" Stewart yelled out. "This game is ours! Good defense on that last possession! They have to foul! Ken, we're taking the ball out on the side at half court! Find a good free throw shooter and get him the ball! Whoever gets the ball, do not lose it! Stand there, hug the ball, wait to get fouled!"

"Quincy!" Ken called out. "You get open. I'm getting you the ball. Run off some screens, you're the primary option. You get that ball and you shove it in your belly button."

Quincy nodded.

"Alright! You guys know what to do! You make your foul shots, you guard against the three, and this thing is ours!" Stewart pointed out onto the court. The five players re-entered the game.

TK stepped over and pulled Ken to the side as Quincy, Luke and Davis went up to half court.

"You sure about this?" TK asked.

"Quincy's been great today, and he's our best free throw shooter. It's not even close either." Ken glanced over his shoulder at Quincy. "He's a certified free throw line cooler."

"This is a guy who spent the first half of the season overcoming a pressure phobia. You're gonna give him the two most pressure-laden shots of the season?" TK raised an eyebrow. "Davis can hit free throws too."

"Relax," Ken said easily. "Trust me. Trust him."

TK shrugged. "Alright. Your call."

Ken slowly went over to the left side of the court, right at half court, and stepped next to the referee. The referee waited for Mita to re-enter their five players and assemble, then blew his whistle. John came up a foot away from Ken, arms up, contesting the inbounds pass.

Ken took the ball and started looking around. Everyone else started running around madly, Rakunan players trying to get open and Mita players shadowing them. TK stopped at right around halfcourt and let Quincy run right by him, TK setting a screen on his defender so Quincy could get free as he ran towards Ken. In the split second between Quincy going past TK's screen and TK's defender not switching, Ken bounced Quincy the ball.

Quincy took one dribble over the half-court line to make sure he'd avoid a backcourt violation, then simply took the ball and held it to his chest, wrapping his arms around it.

Immediately, the Mita shooting guard ran in and wrapped Quincy in a hug, drawing a whistle from the referee. Quincy got the referee the ball, then trotted over towards the free throw line. Fifteen seconds left.

TK walked down to the lane, his mind replaying the airballs and terrible bricks Quincy had spent the first half of the season throwing up. Now, he couldn't deny Quincy's ability to hit virtually every free throw he took, be it in a practice or a game, and yet...he'd feel so much better if Davis was lining up right now.

TK took his spot down low, the left side of the lane, as Quincy stood at the free throw line. The two teams got together along the lane, and Quincy got the pass from the referee. Without bouncing it once, he simply rose up and shot, as if the catch and shot was in the same motion. Swish. A perfect free throw. The anti-thesis to Luke's.

TK wiped the sweat off his cheeks, then crouched down. The referee threw the pass back to Quincy, and once again Quincy immediately fired it up, no fear or hesitation.

The players around the lane pushed towards the basket, readying for a rebound, but it was another perfect free throw that swished in. Mita quickly called a timeout.

TK ran up, forgoing all sense of tact, and simply gave Quincy a bearhug.

"I could watch you shoot free throws all day, you know?" TK said, smiling.

"Whoa. Whoa dude, sorry, I don't like you like that." Quincy pushed TK away. "Talk like that after win."

TK took in a deep breath, then let it out. "Alright. Let's take this thing home."

"If anyone fouls a Mita player on a three, I'm castrating you in the locker room," Ken warned, slowly walking down the court.

"Don't even jump," Davis agreed. "Your feet do not leave the court."

Not interested in using all the time they could have in the timeout, Mita hustled their offense back onto the game as soon as they called the play. John took the ball on the side from the referee, the whistle blew, and John started looking for a pass.

After a second, he got it in to his small forward at the top. He spun and looked for his three, but Quincy got right up to him with his hand in his face. He took one dribble to his left and tried to rise up for the shot again, but Quincy was right there to prevent it.

He got the ball back over to John on the right wing, who launched a three immediately with Ken's hand in his face. The ball soared through the air, then clanked off the back of the rim. The ball ended up launching all the way back up to near the top of the three point line, and Ken was the first to dart underneath it to grab it.

John chased after him to foul, but just before he could Ken flung it down the court. As soon as the shot had launched out so far from the basket, TK had taken off down the court, and now there was nobody there to stop him from getting a free run to the basket.

He caught the pass at the free throw line, then turned and casually dribbled into the lane. He thought about just doing a simple layup. He thought about his aching legs and sore thighs.

But then he heard the crowd buzz, and then he thought about the week of rest ahead.

And he thought, what the hell?

He rose up, getting his right hand above the rim, and rammed the ball viciously through the basket. Sure enough, the crowd erupted as he came back down, and he turned to point at them as he went back down the court. He didn't even pay attention as Mita inbounded the ball, ran down, and immediately launched a three that barely grazed the rim before bouncing to Luke with two seconds left. Mita, waving the white flag, didn't even bother fouling as the final bell buzzed.

TK ran to half-court as the entire Rakunan went out to mob each other, the crowd not ceasing their loud approval of the game as they did. After several seconds of happy high-fives and slaps, they finally turned to address Mita.

John came up to TK and put his hand forward. TK took it.

"Best two out of three?" John said wryly. "Enjoy the tournament. It's a blast."

"Good luck in America," TK replied. Both teams joined together in a show of sportsmanship.

"See you there in three years," John said, turning away. "Maybe we'll play together."

"We did it," Ken said to TK as the teams went through the typical show of proper respect to the other team. "It's nuts. Wanna get out of here?"

"Yes, thank you, I need to collapse somewhere," TK said.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

.

TK walked into the lunchroom, holding the trophy up high. A golden basketball perched on a wooden base, everyone present went into wild cheers as soon as they saw it appear. TK held it up towards the ceiling, shaking it a little bit as he walked between two of the lunch tables.

The rest of the team followed him, fists raised towards the ceiling, skipping around. TK made his way to the center of the room, handing the trophy to the Principal.

"Heck of a job," the Principal said, holding the base of the trophy and looking it over. "You should all be proud of yourselves."

"I'm proud to say all ten of our players contributed to this championship." TK turned to look out at the student body, who slowly quieted down until there was silence in the room. "It's the only way you can win a championship. It can't be just one person, or a few, or even most. It has to be all. Everyone on a team has to sell out towards that higher goal. I'm proud to say that this team has accomplished just that goal! And we're not done yet!"

The room applauded as the Principal raised the trophy up again.

"Next week, we hit Tokyo, and we're going to bring that same ten-strong mentality there too!" TK yelled out. "And there's no team I'd rather have at my side than this one!"

More cheers. They ate this stuff up.

"Now, everyone enjoy your week, and if you can find a way to make it out to Tokyo this weekend, we'll be more than happy to see you there." He raised his fists into the air and walked over to one of the empty tables amid cheers. The team followed him, taking their seats along the bench.

As they were settling down, Kari ran over and sat down next to TK before anyone else could take the spot, wrapping her arms around his chest and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"You are amazing, you know that?" Kari said cheerfully. "I mean, really spectacular. You've embraced this thing, and I love it."

"May as well," TK said, grinning as he propped his elbows up on the table. "Man it's nice out today, isn't it? Criminal to be cooped up inside at school on a day like this."

"The weather? That's your conversation piece?" Kari smirked. "Come on, what are we, strangers? You can do better than that."

"No, seriously, it's really nice out, isn't it?" TK said. "Probably just going to get nicer too, I think summer is officially here. Good soccer weather. Hope you guys are ready."

"Oh yeah. Team is gonna be decent this year," Ken said, pulling out his cell phone. "Gonna have to be scoring out of my mind though, I don't like our goalie situation much."

"Tell me about it," Davis muttered. "More scoring for me I guess."

"TK's just trying to convince me it's time to start wearing short shorts." Kari leaned her head onto TK's shoulder, then rubbed her right leg against TK's left. "Maybe when I get home."

"Well, I know where I'm spending the rest of the day." TK wrapped his left arm around her back and clapped her left shoulder. "I don't fancy walking home today anyway. Barely got out of bed this morning, nearly started crying on the walk over here."

"I'll carry you to my place," Kari said jokingly. "That what you want me to say?"

"I'm not showing the other students any sign of weakness." TK pulled Kari closer to him. "I'll manage."

"Well, look on the bright side," Ken said, glancing down at his phone. "Only one game left?"

"Hey, why the lack of faith?" TK asked, leaning forward. "Did you ever think we'd even make it this far? Come on now."

"They just put the bracket out," Ken said, placing the phone back in his pocket. "We go up against Rokugo saturday."

"You're kidding me," TK huffed. "If I never see Larry again, it'll be too soon."

"You're about to see a ton of him," Ken said, pursing his lips. "I have only one proposal."

"What?" TK asked.

"Every possession, Quincy gets the ball and shoots a three. And we hope he's feeling it like he's never felt it before." Ken scratched the top of his head. "That's my best idea."

"Well, keep thinking." TK glanced around the room. "Losing is one thing, but if we get vaporized on saturday, that'll be a significant blow to our confidence. It'll make people forget about what we just did."

"We all have exams in about an hour, might I suggest we suspend all thought on Rokugo until this afternoon?" Ken said. "We'll all spend the afternoon at Kari's place.

"Oh, joy," Kari deadpanned. "Who needs quality alone time with a boyfriend? Not me, that's for sure."

"Calm down, we'll be gone by six and you two can do...whatever it is you do," Davis said.

"You should be honored. Your apartment is like the batcave." TK patted her shoulder.

"Well, if you were a billionaire like Bruce Wayne, then yes, I'd be fine with it," she sighed.

.

"Look, I can't guarantee anything will _work_," Ken said, seated on the armrest of the couch, left foot on the seat beneath him. "This team is undefeated this year with an average winning margin of twenty-two points. Larry is the best player in the country right now, and he's surrounded with shooters. I'm not saying I know how we're going to win. I'm just saying what we need to do in order to have the best chance of winning."

"It's not right," Davis insisted. "Whatever the situation, there's something fundamentally wrong, as well as morally wrong, with it. TK's been our best player all season, we've been riding his game to victories all year, and now you're saying that he needs to be taken out of the gameplan for the biggest game of the year, and probably our last."

"I know how the last game went. But the idea is still the same. TK's game is no good against Rokugo, Larry will eat up everything he tries. We need to go small with shooters, Derrick, Quincy, you, even Jason, whatever. We need to leave Luke in the game, he's the only guy on this team with a prayer of stopping Larry from time to time. TK doesn't fit into this game at all."

"Come on TK," Davis said, looking at the star power forward, seated on the recliner in the center of the room. "You're gonna sit on the bench and watch us play in the national tournament?"

TK sunk back into the cushion of the chair. "I want to do whatever will help us increase our chances of winning."

"You're our best player. Having you out there always increases our chances of winning because that's how good you are!" Davis insisted.

"I'd love to be out there, but Ken's right." TK bit the inside of his cheek. "The only way we hang with them is if we shoot a bunch of threes, stay at home on their outside shooters, and occasionally stop Larry. I don't fit in."

"TK, come on. We tried that last time and got gutted. If we're gonna go down, we should go down with our best guys." Davis held his hands out. "If you end up not playing well, so be it, but at least you'll have been out there."

TK shrugged. "Whatever helps us the most."

Kari's bedroom door opened and she strided out, whistling to herself, having changed into a red tanktop and jean shorts that exposed virtually all of her thighs. TK's eyes lit up and he smiled as she ran towards him.

"Alright, that's the ticket," he said as she jumped up and landed in his lap, rear in his lap and legs hanging over the armrest. "You two, avert your eyes, this is for me and me alone." He rubbed his right hand over her left thigh.

"You like legs, TK?" Davis asked, smiling to himself. "Me too."

"I like Kari's legs," TK said naughtily.

"Right," Ken said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "In any case, if we're going to get TK into the game, I think he'll have to work from the high post, around the free throw line. If you can hit some jumpers from the outside, maybe you can draw Larry away from the basket and hit cutters in the lane. Think you can hit some jumpers on saturday?"

"Sorry. No focus. Legs." TK said, giving Kari's bare knees a squeeze. She giggled and kicked as she pulled herself closer to his chest.

"Should we leave or something?" Ken asked sardonically. "I mean, if we're not allowed to look-"

"Yes, I can work from the high post." TK peered over at Ken. "You know what I can and can't do."

"Right." Ken steepled his fingers in front of him. "So, we need to leave Luke in the game as much as possible to combat Larry, although maybe it doesn't even matter. Quincy needs to get massive minutes, his height and shooting touch is a must-have. TK, you'll draw Larry out of the paint with your jumper. The Rokugo power forward is undersized, he can't guard you, they'll have to switch Larry onto you. Once he starts leaving the paint to guard you, everyone will start cutting through the lane. Find us with passes. Quincy has some decent post up skills that I didn't expect, get it to him down low if you can. Maybe it'll be enough to get their defense to collapse in so the shooters on the outside get open. It's a long shot, but it's all I've got."

"I hope you wrote all that down, because a certain someone missed the whole thing," Davis said dryly. TK was now softly kissing Kari's neck all over.

"That's a lie, I heard every word," TK said. "Can't a man multitask?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Ken said, standing up. "I'm out of here."

"Gameplan noted!" TK called out as Ken retreated. "Hey, you, out." He pointed at Davis.

Davis sat there on the couch awkwardly for several seconds, looking around, before finally standing up and following Ken out of the room. TK and Kari watched them leave, Davis finally closing the door behind him.

"I knew we could get them out of here," Kari said, turning back to look at TK. "Now, where were we?"

"We were about to construct an evening schedule that allows me to not have to move from this chair." TK snapped his neck to the left. "If at all possible, until tomorrow morning."

"Aw. Poor baby," Kari said, sliding down onto the floor next to TK's legs. "I got some mineral bath stuff that might help."

"That sounds fantastic." TK smiled. "You're the best."

"Aren't I?" She ran off towards the bathroom. "Now, this is going to be a hot bath, you think you can do that right now? It's still about seventy eight degrees."

"Yeah, I'm good for it," TK called out. "I can't wait for a summer of recovery."

He heard Kari turn the sink on in the bathroom. "You sure you don't want to go out for the soccer team with Davis and Ken?"

"Hell no," TK replied immediately. "This summer, I'm going to relax. Soccer's not my game anyway. If anything I'll lift weights this summer, build muscle. But that's about it."

"Yeah you're gonna lift weights this summer," Kari said. "I'm gonna see to it personally."

"And we're playing video games. Something. Co-op, multiplayer, we should find something to play over the summer. Something...long, in-depth, not like street fighter. Something with a real plot." TK looked up at the ceiling. "I don't know, but we'll play it together."

The sink was shut off. "I'll find something."

"But no organized sports this summer. Absolutely not. I need time away from that." TK glanced over his shoulder and saw Kari approach him with an orange bucket filled with water. She set it down next to him.

"Sure."

"Besides, I might need the summer off after Larry puts me in traction," TK added grimly.

.

"I want you to know, man. Whatever decision you make, I'm fine with it."

TK and Stewart sat on the first row of the bleachers next to each other. The rest of the team was casually going around the gym, grabbing bouncing balls and throwing them up towards the basket without any sense of urgency or organization.

"I know that against a team like Rokugo, it's about your outside shooters, so...I mean, I know I'm supposed to be...well, you know, but if you feel like the team would benefit from me...you know, not playing as much in tomorrow's game, I'm part of any game plan you want to put together."

"How's your legs?" Stewart asked, looking down at TK's legs.

"Fine. Fantastic, actually. Me and Kari did some work down there, they feel fantastic." TK nodded. "I'm a hundred percent."

"Then you're playing." Stewart smirked. "You've been our best player all season and you're saying you want to take a seat in the biggest game yet? Forget it. Gameplans, to heck with them, you're our best player and we win or lose with you."

"Alright. If that's your call," TK replied. "I'm ready. High post all day."

"I'm not letting you ride the bench. Forget it. Hey, man, you made me love this game again." He leaned forward towards TK. "You and your friends, you've saved this whole thing for me. I used to hate coaching this team. But now, I can't wait for every game. Practices, even."

"We'll be even better next year," TK promised, standing up. "Ready to shock the world?"

.

TK caught the pass from Ken at the right elbow, then turned to look towards the basket. The moment he saw Larry hesitate on closing out to him, TK simply rose up and fired the jumper. The ball bounced off the back of the rim, popped up, then sunk through the basket.

"Shooter's roll," Ken said quickly as Rakunan ran back.

"Gotta get lucky sometimes." TK went down to the low block, gulping silently as Larry approached the opposite side of the lane, where Luke was waiting.

The long bus ride into Tokyo had been quiet, everyone just sitting and thinking. Even Ken had foregone his typical corny speeches in favor of just remaining in silent thought. The gym was an absolute mecca, looking for all the world like a professional basketball arena, thousands of seats filled with basketball fans, most of whom just wanted to watch good basketball. But none of them had spent much time discussing how nice everything was. They could say or do whatever they wanted, but there wasn't any getting around the simple fact that Larry Ledger was an impossibly intimidating force, and was now probably close to six foot nine or six foot ten.

Immediately, the Rokugo point guard got the ball in to Larry on the low block, and Larry backed Luke down like he was a rag doll. TK held his position on the opposite side of the lane. No point in double-teaming, it wouldn't make a difference.

Larry spun around and jumped up, easily shoving the ball through the rim over the top of Luke's head. Luke just caught the ball and stepped out underneath the basket, inbounding to Ken, having readily accepted his fate as someone who was going to give up a ton of points to this freak of nature.

Ken dribbled the ball up, getting the ball over to Davis on the right wing. Davis spun towards the basket, then Quincy came over to set a pick on his right side. Davis took one dribble towards the pick, lifted up like he was going to shoot, but instead passed it over to TK on the right elbow. TK looked at the basket, saw Larry hanging back around the paint, and rose up for the fifteen footer.

The ball swished through, and TK saw the power forward exchange some words with Larry before inbounding the ball to the point guard. Ten to seven in favor of Rokugo with three minutes gone in the first quarter. As good as could be hoped for.

Rokugo took the ball up, and this time TK immediately doubled Larry on the left low block before a pass could be thrown to him. TK prevented the pass while Luke went behind Larry, preventing him just cutting to the basket.

The power forward went out onto the right baseline, left open, and the point guard got him the ball. Quincy rotated over to defend him as he caught it, so the ball kicked out to the right wing to the small forward. Davis was up to the challenge, rotating over to prevent the open shot, so the ball continued back to the top to the shooting guard. Ken, however, read the rotation and had jumped ahead of time to pick the pass off.

Ken sprinted down the court with the stolen prize, but the Rokugo point guard retreated in time to prevent the fast break, and Ken slowed down at the top.

TK ran down to the left elbow and turned to Ken. Ken gently passed him the ball, and TK spun to face the basket. This time, Larry came right now to guard him, his massive frame towering over TK and swallowing up any kind of shot.

TK stood there for a moment, then took one dribble to his right so he was standing right on the center of the free throw line. Larry shadowed him. TK leaned back to the left and threw a bounce pass towards the basket. Ken had cut from the top through the paint, running past his defender towards the basket. Ken caught the pass, took one dribble, then weaved past the power forward to sink the layup. The crowd applauded, and TK pointed at Ken on their way back down the court.

Once again, Luke and TK doubled Larry on the low block, but the Rokugo guard just lofted the ball up towards him. Neither Luke nor TK could get up anywhere near as high as Larry, and Larry caught the high pass. Larry spun and raised up towards the rim, but found the ball no longer in his hands. Luke had managed to smack it out of his grip just before he went up, and the ball was now in his possession.

Luke quickly got the ball over to TK, who held it for a moment before Ken looped back to get it. Ken brought the ball up as TK went back to his spot on the high post.

Ken swung the ball in the right corner to Davis, who went to the right low block where Quincy had moved. Quincy caught the pass from Davis and made a quick-twitch move like he was going to turn for the layup, then passed it up to TK. Larry had bought on the flinch and was now sprinting back out with his hand up to block TK's jumper.

TK pump faked up and got Larry in the air, then put the ball on the ground and drove past him. The power forward attempted to get in front of him, but TK simply rose up once he got underneath the basket and slammed it home.

Amid the cheers, the Rokugo coach whistled for a timeout. TK saw the frustration in Larry's face as he went back towards the sideline.

.

Larry spun towards the baseline and lofted up a five foot hook shot. Luke got his hand up, but was nowhere near big enough to really contest the shot, and it swished through.

"Twos are better than threes," TK said quietly to Luke as Luke took the ball to inbound to Ken. "We'll live with that."

Ken took the ball up slowly, TK again taking his spot on the high post. This time, the Rokugo power forward ran out to guard him, but TK had a good six inches on him. TK stood there for a second, then simply lifted up and shot right over him. The ball banked off the backboard and through the basket. Rokugo up, fifty-one to fourty-five, two minutes left in the first half.

Dutifully, the Rokugo guard dribbled up, then lofted a high pass to Larry on the low block, over the double team. Immediately, Luke gave Larry a mighty push as he tried to turn to shoot, drawing a foul whistle.

TK gave Luke a quick high-five before they separated to the side of the lane. Larry walked up to the free throw line, turning around and shaking some sweat off his face.

The referee threw him the ball, and he bounced it a few times on the court. His free throw shot was no better than Luke's, a brutal line drive shot and seemed like it had no chance of going in. But the first hit the back of the rim, popped up, and sank through the net.

He got the ball back and fired off the second shot, hitting the right side of the rim. The ball careened over to TK, who snatched it and got the ball over to Ken.

Ken brought the ball up, repeating the same process with TK. TK took his spot on the right high post and Ken got him the ball, Larry immediately running out to guard him up close.

Davis dashed from the right wing towards the basket, cutting past his defender. TK rose the ball up like he was going to pass it to him, but saw the defender in the corner rotate under the basket to guard against it, so he instead fired it over into the right corner to Quincy. Quincy caught, rose up, and knocked down the open three.

Rokugo brought it back up, swinging the ball into the left corner. The guard faked a three before passing it over to Larry, again doubled, by lofting it up high enough for him to get. Immediately, this time TK fouled Larry, smacking at his arms until the referee called the foul.

Larry trotted up to the stripe as everyone assembled around the lane. He turned around, got the ball from the official, bounced it twice, and fired it up.

About a foot short. Didn't even come close to hitting the rim. The crowd gave a sympathetic groan as Larry stood there stupidly.

He got the ball back, trying to shake off that particular pathetic effort, and rose up again to fire his line drive shot. Off the backboard, the front of the rim, and over to TK. TK took it, turned, and fired it up to Ken. Ken hustled the ball up, stopped, and let the offense assemble.

This time, the defense immediately doubled TK to prevent a pass. Larry was behind him, preventing him from getting to the basket, while the small forward was fronting him. Ken stared at this defensive arrangement for a moment, then fired the ball over to Quincy in the right corner.

Quincy squared up, rose the ball up, then fired it up to the right wing as a defender ran over with his hand up. Davis caught the pass, left open in the rotation, and fired the open three. Swish.

"The Russian is cut!" TK said sardonically as he ran back down the court to Ken.

.

The Rokugo shooting guard faked a three, took two dribbles to his left, and fired up the long two point jumper from the baseline. Davis was just late getting his hand up, and the ball rattled through the rim. Rokugo by six, one minute left in the third quarter.

TK inbounded to Jason, who turned and stormed up the court. TK followed, looking up at Larry waiting for him right up on the high post. If nothing else, Rakunan had done a good job of forcing Rokugo to mix up their defensive sets.

TK ran right past the high post and down onto the low block, Larry hesitating for a second before following him, Jason getting TK the ball in the brief second he was open. TK caught the pass, felt the massive Larry press up against him on the block, and bodied up.

Larry used his body to push TK away from the basket, so TK immediately rose the ball up like he was going to put up a hook shot. Larry got his hands up to block it, but TK brought it back down and spun back around, making to scoop the ball up towards the basket to Larry's left. Larry frantically waved his hands towards the shot, but TK pulled it back in yet again and spun back into the hook shot. This time, an off-balance Larry jumped to block it, but still TK didn't actually let the ball leave his hands. He took one dribble to his right, past the leaping Larry, and laid the ball in.

The crowd gasped. Larry never gave up baskets around the rim. Not only had TK gotten one in over time, he had made him look quite foolish in the process. TK just trotted back in silence as Rokugo recovered to bring the ball back up.

This time, before going down low, Larry set a pick with his point guard on Derrick's left side. The point guard used the pick, and TK tried to stay in the passing lane between Larry and the point, knowing what was coming. In a flash, however, Larry bolted right to the basket and got behind TK. The point guard lobbed the ball up, and Larry caught it, slamming it through the rim with such violent force TK thought the rim might break.

TK stared for a moment, shook it off, then stepped out of bounds to inbound to Jason. Jason turned and dribbled it up, then stopped, letting the final moments of the quarter tick off.

With eight seconds left, he threw the ball to Derrick on the right wing, and TK ran up to set a pick on his left side. Derrick took two dribbles towards it, then fired up an off balance three. TK turned and ran in to get the rebound, quickly getting boxed out by Larry, but to his great surprise the shot went in.

"We've got something here, don't we?" Quincy asked as the team walked toward the bench.

"What can I say, man?" TK smiled. "No explaining some things."

.

As Ken hounded the point guard at the top of the key, TK couldn't help but play scenarios out in his head. He and Luke were giving Larry a hard double preventing a pass, and Rokugo was afraid to get the ball in to him because Rakunan was just fouling him every time he got the ball. A minute and a half left, Rokugo up by five. They were confused. They didn't know how to get their offense going without Larry getting the ball virtually every possession. All Rakunan needed was three more defensive stops and they could win this thing. Somehow, against all odds, they were in this thing.

The point guard fired it over to the small forward, who had Quincy right up on him behind the three point line. The shot clock was down to three seconds as he dribbled to his left, but Quincy stayed right with him as he was forced to pick up and fire while falling down with Quincy's hand in his face.

TK immediately moved under the basket, boxing out Larry with Luke and getting ready for the rebound. But somehow, improbably, impossibly, the shot sank through the net.

TK's heart sank. An impossible shot. He might make it one out of every three hundred times. But that was the one. All the hope in TK's mind flew out instantly. Nevertheless, he ran up the court as Luke inbounded to Ken.

Ken ran the ball up, frantically motioning for the offense to start. Before he crossed halfcourt, Davis and Quincy were already madly scrambling around picks being set by TK and Luke. Ken hurled the ball Quincy near the left corner and Quincy fired over his defender. The shot rattled back and forth inside the rim, then bounced out, Larry grabbing it and immediately getting fouled by Davis.

"Well," TK said, walking up next to Ken as the two teams walked down to the other side of the court. "It was a nice effort."

"It's been an honor to have served by your side," Ken remarked.

.

The final buzzer. Rokugo one hundred and three, Rakunan ninety four. TK wandered around the court for a few seconds, looking around at the cheering crowd, before turning to look at Rokugo's bench.

"Well, it was fun." Davis walked up next to TK.

"Yup," TK replied as Larry walked up towards him.

"I don't know where you learned some of your moves," Larry started, coming up to shake TK's hand. "But wherever it was, I gotta find it."

"You don't need them." TK grinned, taking Larry's hand. "Have fun in America. Hopefully you'll be in the pros by the time I get over there."

"You sure you're a freshman?" Larry asked. "You don't act anything like one. I was gonna say we should go overseas together, both go to the same college. You could be my wingman."

"Bull," TK said, turning to shake hands with the next Rokugo player down the line. "You could be mine."

.

"You were fantastic, honey!" Nancy exclaimed, clapping TK on the back. The team had made their way out into the front lobby and were now fighting through a mob of people who had been in the audience. "Really, really good."

"Hey mom," TK replied, giving her a hug. "We need to get out of here, there's barely any oxygen here."

"You could be mine?" Davis said, grinning. "That was pretty good. I like that."

"Never thought I'd see the day TK would show wit. Or cockiness." Ken slid past one of the mob members to get to Yolei, hugging her. "Meant a lot to me that you could make it out here. I know you're really busy right now."

"I wasn't gonna miss this." Yolei smiled. "You were great."

"Great at riding TK's coattails, maybe," Kari chimed in, appearing from behind a portly stranger in the crowd, grabbing TK's arm and pulling herself close to him.

"If I had a girlfriend, she'd be embracing me right now and telling me how great a job I did." Davis looked around, scowling. "Mark my words, she would. So don't forget about me."

"Yes Davis, you did great." TK grabbed Kari's right arm and spun her around ballroom dance-style. "We all did. In fact, this calls for a celebration."

.

"This summer, I'm going to use my free time to teach you how to utilize screens to maximum efficiency," Ken said, leaning against the side of the game console, looking up at Quincy standing in front of him. "And maybe we'll add something to your post game. You're going to start next year."

"Are you sure?" Quincy said, holding a basket of fries in his right hand. "You don't want me off the bench?"

"No, you're too good, I want you full-time," Ken insisted. He turned around to glance at the screen on the console. Jason and Derrick were going at it, Jason's Fei Long beating Derrick's E. Honda. "Derrick using E. Honda, I like it, perfect. Anyway, Quincy, you're definitely starting next year, we need your firepower."

"Guys, remember, we're saying goodbye to someone tonight as well!" Davis called out from the back of the room. "Marcus, where are you?"

Marcus emerged from the middle of the pack, walking up towards the console to where Ken was.

"Marcus, good luck in college. And if you make their basketball team, they'll be lucky to have you." Ken slapped Marcus on the back. "We couldn't have done this without you."

"Playing in that arena today was one of the high points of my life," Marcus replied. "Seriously, you guys are fantastic. Play there again next year, I'll be in the crowd!"

"This was just the start!" Vincent yelled out, pointing at TK, who was sitting in the corner on a stool. "Come over here, man!"

TK slowly got up and walked towards the gathering of players. "Small tight crowds...really not my thing-"

"Hey, the crowd is here because of you! So long as you lead us, we're going places. Positive places! And for the first time in my life, I actually can't wait for summer to end!"

Everyone applauded, and TK finally shrugged his shoulders before raising his cup of soda into the air.

.

That concludes Part One of my story. I have every intention of continuing it, though I'm currently undecided on whether or not it should be on this story or if I should start a new story. I'm thinking I'm going to keep it here in this story but it could go either way. I will start on part two semi-soon, but not immediately. Thank you for reading. It's been a blast to write.


	29. Part 2 Chapter 1

Chapter One

.

Alright, so, I figure since I still have plenty of free time right now, I may as well swing right into Part Two of my story. I've elected to keep the story within the same document since I don't want my profile page to become dominated by a bunch of different basketball stories.

.

"This one's nice." Davis held a blue t-shirt up in front of him. "I like this one."

"Do you even know what makes a shirt nice?" Ken glanced at him, examining a pair of light brown pants on a rack. "I mean, beyond whether or not it fits you."

"I like the fabric. It feels good on my skin." Davis turned the shirt around, looking at the back. "No logos or anything obnoxious on it."

"I need the next size up," Kari said suddenly, coming around from behind the pants rack, holding a pair of blue jeans up. "I need...thirty-six and...thirty-six."

"You're kidding," Davis said, smirking. He walked behind the pants rack and into the small side-chamber, where there was a short row of doors, all of them a few inches off the floor with a couple feet of clearance from the ceiling. He walked up to the first one and knocked on it. "Thirty-six inches of length? Seriously?"

"Go away, Davis," TK said from the other side of the door.

"You grew this summer, didn't you?"

Kari walked into the chamber and threw a pair of pants over the top of the door.

"Come on, admit it, you grew! How tall are you now?" Davis called out.

"Sir, please keep your voice down."

Davis turned around to see an elder, short lady, white hair in a bun, standing out right in front of the entrance to the changing rooms.

"Sorry," Davis said quickly before turning back to the door. "Well?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," TK replied quietly. "Please let me put on pants in peace."

"He's six foot five now," Kari whispered as she turned to leave the dressing rooms.

"She's lying. I don't know what she's talking about." The door popped open and TK emerged, wearing the new pair of jeans. "Don't listen to a word she says."

"You outgrew all your old clothes, didn't you?" Davis said snidely as TK walked out. "None of it fits anymore."

"Your mother," TK said off-hand. "Yeah, I think these fit. These'll work."

"Six foot five?" Ken repeated. "I'm gonna throw you a hundred alley oops this season. A hundred. Anything less would be a dreadful waste."

TK smirked to himself as he sat down on a bench next to a row of shirts, testing the flexibility of the pants. "Okay, fine. Yes, I'm six foot five now."

"Maybe you need the next size," Ken suggested, shuffling through the rack of shirts behind TK. "Those'll just be too small for you in a couple months."

"Forget it," TK said flatly. "I'm done growing. It's an absolute miracle that I wasn't done growing last year, there's no way in the world I'm not done now. I'm six foot five now, and I'll be six foot five until I start shrinking when I'm eighty."

Nevertheless, he shot Ken a quick look and winked, looking away from Davis.

"Well, six foot five will be more than enough for our purposes," Davis replied. "You ready for this year?"

"Yeah man, course I'm ready," TK stood up, swinging his arms back and forth. "The summer has done wonders for me. I feel fresh and ready, I've put on some muscle mass, it's going to be fantastic."

"I made sure he hit the gym plenty this summer," Kari added, pulling some large t-shirts off the rack near the opposite end. "These should fit."

"Really excited to see the new recruits." Ken pulled a shirt off the rack. "Apparently there was a massive amount of excitement in the community this summer, we stole some quality recruits from other high schools. Everyone wants to jump on the TK train."

Kari threw a stack of shirts on top of TK. TK grabbed them by the hangars and tossed them over his shoulder.

"You did outgrow your old clothes, didn't you?" Davis said, grinning.

"All of it," TK admitted, walking towards the dressing rooms. "I've been walking around my room naked for the last week."

"Who's getting your old clothes then?" Ken asked, putting the shirt back on the rack.

TK paused as he disappeared into the dressing room chamber. "Matt," he finally grunted before walking back into the private room.

Ken buckled over slightly and laughed. "Sorry, that's hilarious. High comedy."

.

"You definitely should get something today, man," Davis said, peeking into one of the open shoeboxes. "These sales are fantastic, never seen shoes this low."

"If this is a sale, I'd hate to see regular prices." TK pulled a pair of sneakers out of one of the boxes. "These are size thirteen-and-a-half, if these don't fit something's wrong with the measurement standard of shoe sizes."

"Hey, you have big feet, what's the big deal?" Kari said, shrugging.

TK slipped his right foot into the right shoe, pulling it tight and tieing it.

"We may as well get new ones too," Davis said, pulling a box off the shelf behind him. "At these prices."

"I guess I could use new ones," Ken agreed, also moving to look through the shelves.

"Yeah, these fit," TK said finally. "Yeah these should be alright." He put the other one one, then started walking around. "Okay, I think I'm happy. These feel like they'll work."

"For two months until your feet grow again," Kari said. "Start saving your money."

"Hey, knock it off, I'm done growing. Every part of me." TK shook his head. "These are the last pair of shoes I'll ever buy."

Davis sniggered. "I seriously doubt that."

"Well, okay, maybe not that, but I'm done growing." TK sat back down.

"How about these?" Kari asked, handing TK a shoe box. TK took it and popped it open to peek in, then handed it back.

"Put those back," he said, bending down to take the new shoes off. "Like I'd ever wear those."

"What?" Kari said, holding the box out in front of her. "They're your size, and-"

"First, summer's almost over. Second, and most importantly, flip-flops are for girls." He popped the sneakers back into the box and closed it up. "They are a girl's shoe, and I refuse to wear them."

"T-that's not true," Kari replied, furrowing her brow. "I see guys wear flip-flops all the time. Everywhere. Didn't you go outside this summer?"

"Well, if society wants to be weird, that's their problem. But men, real men, don't wear flip-flops." TK picked the box up and put it up in his lap. "I'm good, let's go."

"It's just...well, if your feet are gonna keep growing, having an open shoe like those to wear might be good." Kari frowned, nevertheless putting the box back on the shelf.

"No. I refuse," TK insisted. "Besides, they're not growing anymore." He slipped his feet back into his old shoes.

.

"So, any idea what we're gonna be getting this year?" Davis asked, elbows on the table and head resting on his palms. "I mean I know you're not going door to door recruiting, but you gotten any word?"

Ken shrugged. "Not much."

TK walked up to the small round table carrying a large green tray in both hands.

"Alright, here we go!" TK called out, setting the tray down on the middle of the table and taking a seat on the circular bench around the table next to Kari. The tray contained three pizzas stacked on top of each other, each separated by a plastic circular sheet on small stilts.

Davis pulled a slice out of the middle pizza. "Luke bulked up this summer too, I know that much."

"Yeah, I saw him a few days ago. Dude is a monster. Put on some weight, muscled up, got taller, everything. He's ready to rock." TK pulled a slice off the top pizza. "He says he can dunk now, I'll believe it when I see it."

"Our front court is gonna be monsterous," Ken agreed. "I can't wait."

"We need to find a perimeter defender." Davis took a bite out of his slice. "Someone long and quick who can guard people on the outside. Those guys can really hurt us."

"Vincent got taller this summer," Ken threw in. "I saw him last week. We can move him to center now. I want a third big for the rotation, a pick and pop guy. Vincent can be the fourth big and Steve can just be a cheerleader who goes in to commit fouls."

"We definitely need a backup small forward. Someone like Marcus, someone who can play that role." TK shoved most of the slice into his mouth at once.

"We're gonna have a wide variety of players to pick from, and I know Coach Stewart loves our input." Ken yanked a breadstick off the side of the tray. "We're gonna build something this year. I've been working with Quincy and Jason every chance I've gotten, both those guys are ready to kill it. It'll be nice after that disaster of a soccer season."

"Oh don't get me started," Davis said bitterly. "You know your team sucks when you have Ken and still can't manage a winning record."

"Hey, I wasn't exactly a paragon of play either," Ken insisted, taking a bite out of the breadstick.

"You were great. Without you we might not win a game," Davis leaned back in the chair. "You're gonna commit a few turnovers when the team is that awful. Still, all around embarrassing."

"Well, next year we'll hopefully have defenders who don't run away from the ball." Ken pursed his lips. "But enough about that unfortunate affair. Let's think on positive matters. Like how nobody is going to stop us from winning district for the second year in a row."

"And about how you _better_ lead district in scoring this year," Kari added, looking up at TK. "We have a prom this year, and I can't be Prom Queen unless you're Prom King."

"Never knew you were into the prom scene," Ken said, grabbing a slice of pizza from the bottom rack.

"All girls like tiaras," Kari replied evenly. "Doesn't matter who the girl is or what they say, girls love jewelry, no exceptions."

"Yolei says she doesn't care about-" Ken started, but Kari quickly cut him off as she reached for a slice of pizza.

"She lied."

"Man, prom?" TK bit his tongue. "Can I pass?"

"Absolutely not," Kari replied quickly. "Come on, it's the least you can do. I help you work out, let you stay at my place all the time, make you food, and I wanna parade you around in front of the whole school for one night."

TK shook his head. "Fine. But it's not going to be easy to dance unless you grow a bit between now and then."

Davis snickered. "Yeah, what about that growth spurt you were talking about?" He looked at Kari, who scowled back at him. "What are you? Four foot nine?"

Kari gave Davis a sharp kick underneath the table, causing him to wince.

"Tall enough to get my leg over there," she said dryly. "And that's all I need."

"Statistically, it's...highly likely she still has growing left to do," Ken said, pulling an olive off the top of his pizza slice and setting it to the side. "And it's...probable it'll happen soon."

"Thank you, _Izzy_," Kari said. "I'm going to grow, you guys just worry about making sure you guys stay taller than me. That'd be embarrassing."

"You won't grow unless you start eating more than that," Davis said, peering at her plate. "Speaking of which..." he looked at the stack of pizzas. "TK, did you just eat all that?"

"Uhhh..." TK glanced over the three pizzas. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"I looked away for like two minutes and you went through...like, six slices?" Davis said, raising an eyebrow.

TK shrugged. "I guess, yeah."

"Dude, you are _so_ still growing. You're growing right now, as we sit here, looking at you." Ken smirked and shook his head. "You sat down at this table six foot five and you're probably standing up at six foot six."

"No, I'm just hungry," TK held his arms out to his sides. "That illegal now?"

"He ate like two dozen egg rolls and two containers of noodles yesterday," Kari whispered.

"Yeah, I was hungry then too, I'm a big guy." TK grabbed a breadstick. "What's the big deal?"

"About to get bigger," Kari said.

"Whatever. With my workout regimen I have to consume a ton of calories," TK said dismissively.

"You keep telling yourself that." Ken shook his head.

"I will, because it's the truth," TK replied haughtily.

.

"I promise to make it out to at least five of your games this season, plus any and all tournament games," TK read off the screen of his phone, scrolling through the wall of text with his finger. "My schedule tends to be hectic but I'm definitely going to make time for it. I heard you're still growing from Kari. Congratulations." TK looked up from the phone. "Kari, stop telling him that I'm growing, he'll get ideas!"

Kari emerged from behind the kitchen counter, holding up a large tin pot. "Your older brother should know what's going on in your life, including how your growth is going. Particularly given how important height is for you."

"Matt's a nut." TK grimaced. "Thinks I'm sprouting all the way up to...seven feet tall, and that I'm going to play basketball professionally." He walked over to Kari, holding the phone in his right hand. "Could you imagine me seven feet tall?"

Kari set the pot down and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Yup, and I like what I'm imagining."

"Well, keep imagining, because it's not happening." TK looked back down at the phone. "P.S., I really like this girl I've been dating. I think I might be ready to go steady." TK snorted and set his phone down. "Yeah right."

"Well that's nice of him." Kari grabbed TK's hands and started rocking back and forth slowly in an impromptu dance. "He's a good brother, you know that? Better than mine."

"I don't know about that. He has more money than you brother," TK said offhand.

"Exactly. Now come on, let's try some dancing. Gotta be ready for the prom."

"In eight months?" TK raised an eyebrow as he held Kari's hands and pulled her closer. "As prom king would I be able to negotiate the songs that get played? Because I don't want to dance to dubstep."

"I'm sure you'll be able to arrange for whatever song you want." Kari pulled away from TK, spun around, then fell back into his arms. "But no Achy Breaky Heart."

"Oh come on," TK whined. "It'd be funny. It's funny."

"It's only funny the first three times," she insisted. "Not anymore."

TK glanced over at the pot on the countertop for a moment. "One Winged Angel?"

"No," Kari said patiently. "We'll come up with something." She pulled away and turned her attention to the pot. "You just focus on putting yourself in position to be prom king."

"I might win unanimously," TK crowed.

"As long as the voters don't see you dance between now and then," Kari teased.

"Well, Davis might vote for himself," TK said. "He seems like the type." Suddenly, TK snapped his fingers, then pointed at Kari. "Let's dance to Pink Floyd!"

"No."


	30. Part 2 Chapter 2

Chapter Two

.

"Man, take a seat," Stewart insisted, motioning to the bleacher seat next to him. "TK, seriously, come here, sit down."

TK pointed with his thumb out towards the court. "I should probably be working with the guys-"

"TK, I don't need to see you practice! I know what you can do. Come here, we should talk," Stewart repeated. "You're the star player, you can do whatever you want. Really. I want your opinion."

"Well...alright," TK relented, sitting down next to his coach. "What's up?"

"Well, I figure, you're the one who has to play with these guys, and you're the brains of the operation-"

"I'm really not, that's, uh, Ken you're talking about." TK leaned forward, elbows on his knees, watching the assortment of players run around in an unorganized fashion with balls bouncing around.

"Sorry, son, but when you're as good as you are, you're the brains by default. Who do you think the team is going to respond to better? Ken, or you?" Stewart rubbed his beard with his left hand.

"Well, Ken runs the offense, distributes the ball, controls the pace-" TK began, but was cut off.

"But you're _better_ than him," Stewart insisted. "Like it or not, people will unite around you ten times before they unite around Ken once. That's just the way things are going to be. So, I think you should have a say in how we procede. So, what do you think?"

TK watched the court closely, eyes darting around from player to player. "We have six roster spots."

"And thirteen players trying out." Stewart picked his clipboard up from his left and held it over towards TK. "So it's tough decision time. What are you looking for?"

TK took in a deep breath. "We need a new backup small forward. Someone who can fill the sheet and do the little things. If he can handle the ball, better, and if he's long enough to defend on the perimeter, even better. And I want a third big man."

"Something the matter with Vincent?" Stewart asked.

"No, he's just...he is what he is. Can't rebound, defend, pass...he's our fourth big man. He can shoot a little and that's all he's got. I want someone with more game than that. Other than that, we can always use more shooters and defenders."

The door across the gym opened and Ken walked through, carrying a backpack over his right shoulder. He tossed it down to the floor in the corner, then ran over towards the bleachers, across the busy court.

"Remember. You're the leader. Trust me."

TK nodded, then stood up as Ken approached.

"Sorry I'm late, had to sign some autographs," Ken said offhandedly, tugging on the front of his shirt.

"Seriously?" TK said dryly, staring at Ken.

"No," Ken admitted, smirking. "My dad forgot his lunch in the fridge, I had to run it out to him."

"Well, you're not late. We're the only guys from last year here," TK said, pointing out onto the court. "All these guys are trying out."

"Huh," Ken replied, frowning. "You know, none of those guys are guaranteed a roster spot, they really should have the courtesy to show up. Their spots on the team aren't reserved."

"Oh yeah, we're definitely gonna kick some of those guys off the team," TK said sarcastically. "Yeah, we're totally gonna do that. Spit on all that camaraderie we built up. Brilliant."

"Hey, Steve isn't exactly making major contributions to this team, I'll wave goodbye to him in a heartbeat," Ken said, holding his hands out to his sides. "There are a hundred people in this school who can wave a towel around on the bench, which is what Steve is gonna be doing."

"Cool your jets." TK clapped Ken on the shoulder. "Nobody is getting cut. I'll be happy with coming up with a full roster of fifteen players out of these guys. We need six new guys, and that's it."

"Alright." Ken turned toward the court. "Let's go fishing."

.

Ken darted to his right, dribbling around his man, who just stood as Ken dashed toward the paint. Ken got to the free throw line, then turned back around and walked the ball back over to his defender.

"Okay, so clearly we have some work to do," Ken said, throwing the ball over to the side. "It's a matter of instincts, quickness, that sort of thing. But you, my friend, will be exactly what I'm looking for."

He looked down at the ground for a moment, then back up to Ken. "Uh, sorry, but...we're not really...friends yet," he finally said meekly.

"It's an expression, uh...Martin." Ken ran his hand through his hair. "We'll be friends. And you're gonna be great. I'll personally see to it that you make this team, and if you apply yourself you'll be just what we need here on the Wildcats." With that, Ken walked off, leaving Martin to just stand there.

"Good job. He likes you."

Martin spun around to see TK towering over him, standing there with his hands on his hips and looking over at Ken.

"Consider yourself on the roster. Ken has some serious pull." TK smacked Martin on the back. "Welcome to the team."

"I...I didn't do anything," Martin replied, speaking so quietly TK could barely make his words out.

"He's cryptic sometimes, sorry about that," TK said, reaching down to grab Martin's left hand, and then pulling it out to his side. "You have very long arms, and you're big, while still having the body type and style of a guard. That's what we're looking for, and that's what you have."

"Oh," Martin said, letting his arm fall back down to his side.

"Word of advice." TK glanced around the court. "Learn how to defend on the perimeter, and practice shooting threes from the corner. You learn those things, you'll be everything we need."

TK turned away and walked towards the other side of the court, satisfied with himself.

"Alright, everyone! Let's go through some drills! Line up towards the east basket!" Stewart yelled out.

.

"Oh that's nice," TK commented, eyes locked on one of the new players. He was standing on the right elbow, catching tosses from Derrick from a rack of basketballs, then immediately rising up for jumpers. "Every jumper looks the same. He's got something."

"See, told ya. I've been watching this guy the whole practice. I think we have our man," Davis said gleefully.

"Eh, he's not as tall as I'd like," TK said. "I mean, he's good enough to be on the team, but I don't know if he fills our needs."

"He's plenty tall!" Davis insisted. "Bet you he's at least five foot nine."

"Eh, not that tall," TK said, shrugging.

"Everything's not very tall to you, you're all the way up there," Davis replied. "He's tall enough to be what we need."

"I guess. What's his name?" TK watched him catch another quick pass from Derrick, then rise up and fire a jumper that drained through the basket. He moved over to the left elbow and caught another pass, lifting up with the identical shooting motion and knocking it down.

"Manny," Davis replied. "He's the perfect pick and pop player."

"Alright, I'll bite. It wouldn't be any fun if everything was perfect." TK nodded. "Put in the word to Stewart, there's room for him on this team."

"I swear, the art of dribbling the ball is lost on this new generation."

TK turned to the left to see Ken walking up towards the pair.

"Problem?" TK asked.

"Yeah," Ken responded. "I've been watching all these guys go through ball handling drills. It's ugly. Everyone just wants to shoot, nobody wants to actually have to dribble. It's like watching a girl dribble."

"Okay." TK held his hand up to his mouth. "Well, we have you, and Jason's coming along nicely. We can work with that, that's enough. We make sure one of you is always out there."

"And if one of us gets hurt, we're screwed," Ken reminded him. "Praying for good health worked last year, because we didn't have a choice. But two years in a row without an injury? Not likely."

"Well, these are freshmen. They're almost always raw recruits that need to be refined. We're the exception to the rule. So pick the best one and train him up." Davis looked over to the far side of the court.

"I'm not sure there is a best one," Ken sighed. "I guess..." he looked back over to where Davis was looking. "Well, Jamal. He's got size and...I'll bet I can teach him."

"Alright!" TK clapped his hands. "That's twelve. I think we have a real team in place here. So, how do we fill out the roster?"

Ken shrugged. "Whoever tries the hardest over the next..." he turned around and looked at the clock on the wall. "Ninety minutes?"

"Hunger Games style, I like it," TK said.

"You shut your mouth, I haven't read the books yet," Davis said quickly.

"Well, read them. It's not fair that nobody within a fifty foot radius can talk about it years after the fact because you haven't read them yet." TK shook his head.

"Alright!" Ken called out loudly. "If I could get your attention, I'd like to arrange some three on three quick games! Everyone line up over here and I'll split things up!"

.

"Look at this guy," Ken said under his breath, seated on the edge of the bleachers. Six of the hopefuls were out on the court, engaged in a sloppy, yet hard-fought, game of three on three. One of them was out at the top, dribbling around, and his defender was right up on him, not letting him get an inch of airspace. The man with the ball drove left, but the defender stayed right with him. "He's relentless."

"He tries hard," TK agreed, seated to Ken's right. "Almost makes up for him missing his first six shots."

"That's why he's perfect," Ken replied. "He won't care if he never plays, because odds are he won't. But if a few people get hurt, at least we'll know he plays hard."

The ball handler threw the ball into the low post to one of his teammates, who immediately spun and shot over his defender, throwing a line drive up at the basket that bounced off the underside of the rim and down to the defender.

"Ew," TK said. "This is painful to watch."

"They look like a bunch of guys who ride the bench," Davis agreed, sitting to the right of TK. "Which I guess is perfect for what we need."

The other team took the ball down, the guard dribbling the ball up to his neck, his defender not going for the steal even though it was waiting right there for him to snatch. Ken winced.

"He dribbles like the guy in Teen Wolf," Davis joked. "Awful."

"I guess this is the norm for freshmen," Ken said. "I mean, we're different, most freshmen never play."

The ball handler dribbled up into a three from the top that airballed, but his teammate grabbed the rebound and put it right back up for the basket.

"So how's Yolei?" TK asked as the other team inbounded and took the ball up.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe. AP Physics, AP Chemisty, AP Math, AP everything, you name it, she's signing up for it." Ken tapped his foot on the ground.

"Yeah I believe it," TK said. "You're doing the same thing. You're signed up for every AP class there is."

"No, I didn't. I didn't sign up for anything, my teachers _put_ me in those classes because they I kept making a mockery out of their assignments and tests." Ken smirked. "I didn't have a choice. Nobody signs up for that many AP classes."

"She's trying to keep up with you," Davis said. "She aspires to you."

"Really wish she wouldn't." Ken shrugged. One of the players out on the court drove in for an out of control layup that missed the rim entirely and dropped to a defender. "I snuck a peek at her calendar for this school year, it's insane."

"Well, she's plenty smart, she can do it," TK reasoned.

"Yeah but she doesn't have to. I mean, what's the point? I mean, she's not good at everything, I'm not sure she belongs in a couple of those AP classes. She's there because I'm there. What kind of reason is that?" Ken shrugged. "Yeah, she can do it, but would she want to? I mean, hey, you could do it," he pointed at Davis.

"Oh, thanks," Davis said dryly.

"But imagine everything you'd have to give up to do it." Ken shrugged. "In a couple years we'll all be adults and we'll never have fun again."

"Except for this guy," Davis said, pointing at TK. "He's gonna sign a thirty million dollar contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, tear both of his ACLs and MCLs twelve games into his rookie season, retire, spend three years rehabbing, then retire to some mansion in the Carribbean to play video games for the rest of his life."

"Man, shut up," TK spat. "I don't know what's worse, you saying I'm gonna destroy both of my legs in a horrific accident, or you saying I'm actually going to play a single second of pro basketball." He paused for a few moments. "Is thirty million dollars even that much?"

Davis shrugged. "Do I look like I know conversion rates? That's just what the last first pick signed for, I read an article on it."

Both of them looked at Ken.

"It's like...a little less than two and a half billion yen," Ken said. "Watch the court."

"You could totally live the rest of your life off that," Davis said. "Maybe you'll have to cut back from twelve servant girls to like, ten."

"Well, it doesn't matter, because I'm not signing a damn thirty million dollar contract with anyone," TK said bluntly. "I'm graduating high school with a three point two GPA, taking on eight million yen in college loans so I can get a degree in communications, which ends up doing nothing to help my job search for the first year and a half after getting out. I will then marry Kari, even though we're both broke and unemployed and in no position to get married, because our grandparents left us just enough in their wills for a small ceremony. I'll get a job as a house alarm salesman, she'll get a job as a kindergarten teacher, and we'll start cutting into paying off our student loans like a screwdriver trying to poke a hole through a bank vault door. A few years later, we'll have a kid even though we're already living paycheck to paycheck and barely paying more than the interest on our loans because of a false sense of confidence I get from playing online poker. After that goes bust, all will look hopeless until an Aunt Kari forgot she had leaves her a sizable portion of her will, which buys us time until I can find a second job, at which point we have a second kid. Finally, at the age of fourty-seven, we both get out of college loan debt, just as I get laid off to make room for a younger employee. In order to make ends meet we have to undermine the education of our oldest child by making him get an after school job when he really needs to be doing his homework. Years later, both our children go out into the world and we finally start earning enough to feel comfortable, and I die of a heart attack due to stress at the age of fifty-three."

"Well no one can say you didn't put thought into it," Ken said. "Alarm salesman?"

TK shrugged. "Maybe telemarketer."

"Now I'm really depressed," Davis said dryly. "I feel like re-making my myspace account."

"Well don't worry about it. You'll probably win the lottery or something," TK grunted.

"Alright." Ken stood up. "I think I've seen enough. All this sloppy basketball is gonna rub off." He cleared his throat. "Okay! Thank you, thank you for your efforts today!"

Immediately, everyone on the court stopped and looked at him, the ball in the hands of one of the guards.

"I appreciate all the effort shown today! It's been wonderful, really, but we're out of time! Alright, we'll be posting official rosters in a couple of days!" Ken waved to everyone. "Good job today."

"Why don't you just wear the whistle too?" Stewart asked as he walked over to the trio. "So, what do you think?"

"They all need work," Ken said. "But some, some could be valuable."

"Alright. You're the primary players, so I really want to let you guys take the reigns here. That's how we've been doing it so far, and it's worked out well. So, who do you want?" Stewart pulled his clipboard out from underneath his arm.

"Alright." Ken nodded. "Well, here's what I figure."


	31. Part 2 Chapter 3

Chapter Three

.

"Alright, c'mon Derrick," Ken said, pressing up against the small point guard's back. Derrick was dribbling a ball, trying to keep it away from Ken as Ken tried to poke in and get it away from him. "You can't just stand there and dribble forever. If you don't advance the ball, the other team gets it anyway."

Derrick spun to his left in a whirl, driving down the court, Ken shuffling to keep in front of him. Suddenly, Derrick stopped on a dime, dribbled the ball behind his back, and went right past Ken, who was left flailing at him.

"Very good!" Ken shouted as Derrick got to the half-court line, then stopped and turned around. "Once you can do that reliably, you can be a ball handler! I told you it could be done!"

"He beat you once, Ken, calm down." TK walked onto the court. "How about we end on a good note? Let's get out of here. It's late."

"People are scared of us," Derrick said, tossing the ball over towards the corner.

"Huh?" TK asked.

"I was hanging out downtown a couple days ago. People are talking about us. Talking about how good we are, how dangerous we are. Other schools are scared. Scared of you. It's interesting, is all."

Derrick shrugged and slowly walked towards the gym door.

"People scared of me," TK repeated. "That is interesting."

"I'm scared of you." Ken clapped his hands together a few times. "You're massive. You could almost eat me."

"Whatever," TK grunted. "None of the new players are anywhere near ready, I hope you realize that."

"Not a surprise," Ken replied. "We'll bring them along. By the midpoint of the season they'll be ready."

"We really need to get Manny going," TK said. "We need a big man rotation."

"He'll come along," Ken said, slapping TK on the back as the two of them walked towards the door. "He just needs to learn how to play defense and we'll give him minutes."

"Should they be afraid of us?" TK asked, pushing the gym door open.

"I'd say so. Afraid of you." Ken replied.

As soon as TK stepped through the door, Kari came off the wall by the door and swept underneath his right arm, leaning up against him and walking in step with him.

"What are you doing here? It's almost eight," TK asked, putting his arm around Kari's back.

"Seducing the geography teacher into giving me a good grade," Kari deadpanned. "Waiting for you, what else?"

"You didn't have to do that." TK patted her on the side.

"It's fine. I was playing my Xenogears ROM," Kari said.

"You're gonna get caught," Ken said shiftily.

"By who? The emulator police?" Kari said dryly. "Come on, no one cares about those things anymore."

"Hey, an illegal emulator scandal is just the kind of thing that could get TK kicked off the team. You never know."

"Whatever. Just get ready for Musashino Kita tomorrow." The three steered around a corner and made for the large double doors in the front of the building.

"They're good. Very good." TK nodded to himself.

"We assume," Ken pointed out. "They're all youth, all freshmen, we just assume they're good. You never know with the hype monster, it lies all the time."

"The schedule-makers didn't mess around," TK said. "Not very many easy games. They're challenging us."

"You wanna spend the night at my place?" Kari asked. "Make things easier."

"Sure thing," TK said, pushing the front doors to the school open and stepping out onto the concrete walk down to the street. "Oh, gimme a break. I miss last year now. It's eight o'clock and it's still boiling! This is ridiculous."

"Get used to it," Ken said. "All indications point towards an extra-long summer."

"Get your nerd crap out of here," TK said, waving Ken away.

.

"I thought you liked the hot weather," Kari said, tugging a small red tanktop down her torso.

"I love it!" TK exclaimed, pressing a small bag of ice against his forehead. "But enough is enough, my body is ready for things to get cold. And this is a...muggy, humid kind of hot. Enough to make me sick."

"I know what you mean," Kari admitted. "It's not fun."

TK went over to the small white fan on the dresser and picked it up, putting it up a few inches from his face. "You need to get a real fan. This little girly one doesn't do anything."

"I'll go pick up a gorilla-sized one tomorrow," Kari replied. "There's nothing wrong with that fan."

"Gimme a break. Fisher-Price My First Fan, you're not four years old anymore." He set it back down. "Whatever." He reached down and grabbed the bottom of his tanktop, peeling it off and bringing it up over his head. "I don't need this sweat sponge." He tossed it to the side and collapsed on Kari's bed.

Slowly, Kari sat down on the edge of the bed, eyes on TK's sculpted torso.

"Don't worry, I'll move out to the couch in a bit," TK said.

"It's alright. This is Tai's old bed, it's big enough for both of us." Kari slowly slithered into a prone position on the left side of the bed, propping her head onto her palm.

"Well, yeah, but-" TK rolled over so he was looking up at the ceiling, and Kari reached over and put her right hand on TK's stomach. TK froze as she ran her palm around his torso, lightly petting his toned skin.

"Those long hours in the gym sure did pay off," Kari said, running her fingers over his toned abs. TK twitched and smirked, stretching his back out and thrusting his stomach up towards the ceiling.

She moved up to stroke his chest, pronounced and tight. "It is...quite extraordinary."

"Well, I'd hope so, after all the time I spent on it."

She poked her right bare foot forward and rubbed her toes against his lower legs. He twitched again, soaking in the attention.

"I think I could tolerate sharing my bed with a figure of this kind," Kari said, rolling over suddenly so she was laying on top of TK. TK wrapped his arms around her, and she reached up to grab his arm.

"Alright, if you're sure," TK said, rolling over slightly so the two were on their side.

"And these arms, they're getting so...big," Kari mentioned. "It really is-"

.

"-something else." Luke said, examining TK's right upper arm. "How the heck are you doing it?"

"It's a lifestyle," TK replied. "Every day you work towards it, you never take any time off from it. Everything you do is designed to move you towards the goal. That's really all I can say."

"Alright man, I'll keep it in mind," Luke said. "I don't know if I have that kind of dedication. I like hamburgers too much."

"Man, you should see how much I eat. It don't matter, I'm big, I can take it on." TK stood up, and immediately the packed bleachers erupted into a loud roar. He waved at them as he walked onto the court, quickly joined by Quincy, Davis, Ken and Luke.

"Alright," TK said, watching five Musashino players get up from the bench as well. "Remember, our frontcourt depth is raw, most of them aren't ready yet. Quincy, Luke, us three need to be ready to potentially play almost the entire game. This team might be good, and our backups aren't ready for this kind of thing yet."

"We'll put them away before half," Davis said. "Give the rookies some experience after we go up by thirty."

"We'll see," Ken said, walking up next to TK. "I say we don't waste any time in getting the crowd pumped. Sound good?"

"It's just so...cheap. It's like using the same move over and over in street fighter, it's not fair."

"Nothing that works is cheap," Ken insisted. "If they can't stop it, it's their problem."

The referee beckoned both teams into the center of the court, Luke stepping into the center opposite the Musashino center.

"Alright. Good, clean game, conduct yourself in a professional manner, and have fun," the referee said absent-mindedly, holding the ball up between the two large players. "Here we go."

He threw it up, and both leaped for it. Luke got a few inches higher and knocked it back to Ken. Without hesitation, both teams moved down the court towards the Musashino basket.

Ken dribbled up to the top of the three point line as everyone moved to their positions. He made brief eye contact with TK as he moved to the left baseline, about eight feet from the basket, defender right up on him. Six seconds into the shot clock, Ken simply picked his dribble up and lobbed the ball up towards the left side of the rim. TK spun around his man and took two large steps towards the basket, then lifted up and caught the ball in his right hand. He got over half a foot over the basket and slammed the ball through with a neat _CHUNK!_ The moment it went through, the crowd went wild, standing up and roaring approval as TK landed back on the ground. It took less than ten seconds for the fans to be rewarded with something memorable.

Rakunan trotted back down as Musashino brought it up, Ken moving up to hound the opposing point guard the moment he crossed halfcourt. Fighting every step of the way, he managed to get the ball to the top, then bounced it over to his shooting guard on the right wing. He turned to face up Davis, then in a flash, drove past him towards the basket. As he approached the basket, TK stepped out to herd him towards the baseline, blocking his path to the basket.

He went to the baseline, then whistled a pass behind his back to the small forward, who was barrelling down the lane after losing Quincy on a perimeter screen at the top. He caught the ball and rose up for a dunk, but Luke got up and met him at the peak, slamming his palm into the ball and knocking it back.

TK caught the falling ball and quickly got it up to Ken as he ran back for it. Rakunan ran their offense up, TK taking position down on the right low block, right next to the paint. He felt his defender press up into his back. Ken's eyes darted from Davis to Quincy in the corners, and Luke slowly walked up to set a screen.

Just before Luke got there, Ken threw the ball up towards the backboard, right above TK's head. TK simply spun around, jumped up higher than his defender could, and caught it, ramming it through the rim on his way down.

The bleachers ate it up, rising as one and loudly announcing their approval of the second alley-oop. TK rose his hand into the air, but otherwise remained emotionless as he turned around and ran down the court.

Musashino took it up, moving slowly and deliberately until their offense assembled, Ken continuing to make it hard for the point guard to dribble. He got to the top and got it to his power forward on the left elbow.

He turned around to face the basket, and dribbled once, making eye contact with Luke. He froze, grabbed the ball in both hands, then lifted up for an ugly-jumper that came from around his forehead.

The ball clanked off the front of the rim to Luke, who dished it to Ken. Ken spun around and sprinted down, weaving between two defenders as he crossed half-court. With only one man to beat, Ken did a quick spin to his right and ran towards the baseline, his defender madly shuffling to keep in front of him.

Suddenly, Ken cupped the ball in his right hand, then leaned forward to get it away from his defender and lobbed it up towards the basket. The ball bounced off the backboard as TK came barrelling down the lane. He jumped up, caught the ball off the bounce, and rammed it through the rim with both hands.

Eruption. Nobody could hear the whistle as the referee signaled a timeout. TK raised his hand back into the air as he walked back to the bench.

As TK stalked back to the bench, he took a short detour over towards the bleachers. Kari was seated on the edge of the front row, right next to Yolei.

He reached his right hand forward, and Kari coyly reached out to take it. TK pulled her up into a standing position, then leaned in and kissed her full on the lips.

The crowd gave a surprised gasp, then cheered as TK pulled away and walked back over to the bench.

.

"Come on, admit it, that was a pretty egotistical move to pull," Yolei said wryly as TK sat down on the bench.

"Yeah, it was." Kari shrugged, grabbing the bleacher seat on either side of her. "But I'm okay with it."

"Oh, gimme a break." Yolei shook her head. "All we need now is for him to start failing math, get a leather jacket, and start beating up small kids and he'll be full jock."

"You're just jealous." Kari slapped her on the back. "Come on, that was pretty cool. It was fun. It was different."

"Alright. I wouldn't...object if Ken did something like that." Yolei shrugged. "Anyway, enough about Mister Perfect Boyfriend over there. So, it's been awhile for me, busy summer, but to my recollection, you have the point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, and center."

"Very good," Kari said, as the crowd finally quieted down. "Sometimes, to keep things short, we just refer to them by numbers. Point guards are ones, shooting guards are twos, small forwards are threes, power forwards are fours, and centers are fives."

"Right. Ken's the point guard, he handles the ball. Davis is the shooting guard, he catches and shoots from the outside. And TK is the power forward, he catches and shoots around the basket. Year two, and I feel good about this."

"That's all right," Kari said, patting the back of Yolei's hand. "Alright, here we go."

The starters took their places on the court again and Musashino inbounded from underneath their own basket.

"There's more to it than positions, of course. Ken is a passing point guard, but there are also scoring point guards. Derrick is a shooting point guard, and there are also slashing points guards. Then you have Davis, who's a catch-and-shoot shooting guard, and then Jason is a ball-handling shooting guard. There are all kinds of small forwards. Slashing, rebounding, shooting, defensive, passing, whatever. You have power forwards and centers that score, rebound, pass, play defense, it's a mix of a lot of things. A good team mixes these styles up on their benches so they have an answer for everything. And that's what we're trying to get this year."

Musashino ran a pick and roll, the point guard getting the ball to his power forward on the way to the basket. At first, the power forward went up for a layup that Luke got in position to contest, but the opposing four dished it over to the center on the other side of the paint. The center quickly jumped up and neatly dunked the ball in before TK could get over.

"Quincy is a pure shooter. He can't handle the ball, he can't slash, he can't defend, can't do any of that, so the hope is that they can develop a backup three with an alternative skillset. Something to change things up. That make sense?"

"Yeah, sure," Yolei said. Ken brought the ball up. This time, TK was immediately hard doubled when he crossed the free throw line. Ken bounced the ball around a few times at the top, then took two large steps towards the paint to his right. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the defender take a step towards him, so he tapped the ball up to Luke.

Immediately, as the defender altered his direction to run at Luke, Luke spun around and fired it out into the corner to Quincy. Quincy raised up, left wide open, and fired the corner three.

Bang.

.

TK caught the pass from Ken, standing on the low block, and immediately felt the double team come. Without looking, he just bounced it behind his back through a thicket of legs to Luke. Luke caught it and rose up for a quick layup before the defense could collapse around him.

"Too easy," TK said to Ken on their way back up the court.

"They can't stop you." Ken ran back to behind the three point line and waited.

Musashino dribbled up, the point guard threw it into the corner to the small forward, and he immediately rose up for an ugly-looking three that hit the side of the backboard. The ball bounced out of bounds and the referee pointed possession over to Rakunan.

"They're panicking," Ken said, as Luke stepped out of bounds to grab the ball. TK looked up at the scoreboard. Rakunan had raced out to a thirty-seven to seventeen point lead with three minutes left in the second quarter.

"Rightfully so," TK said. "I'd like to give the entire second half to the kids. Sound alright?"

"Sure thing," Ken said, taking the ball from Luke and guiding the offense up the court.

TK ran down to the low block and allowed the double team to engulf him. Luke ran up to the top and set a screen for Ken. Ken used it, driving to his left and getting around the defense. When the outside defense hesitated on closing out to him, Ken simply scooped the ball up to the rim for the layup.

Musashino again ran the ball up, sprinting into their half-court set, the point guard running right up to the top. He glanced into the right corner, but Ken simply leaned forward and poked the ball out of his control, sending it towards the left sideline.

The ball careening out of bounds, Quincy and his man both went for it. Quincy managed to just get to it first, but was falling out of bounds as he did so. He took the ball in his left hand, put it behind his back, and hurled it down the other side of the court.

Davis had run ahead of everyone else, all by himself, and ran to catch the pass around the free throw line. With nobody around, Davis neatly dribbled to the basket and laid it in. The crowd was tired of cheering at this point, and only gave some mediocre applause.

"The crowd ran out of gas before us?" TK asked. "Pathetic."

.

Ken threw the ball down to Quincy on the right elbow before darting into the right corner. Quincy spun, took one dribble into the paint to draw the defense, then lobbed the ball up to TK on the left low block. TK rose the ball up towards the basket, then whistled the ball over into the corner to Ken.

Ken caught it, looking at the basket, standing right next to Davis, one defender left to cover the both of them. Without hesitation, Ken drove right to the basket and forced the defender to come with him. He threw the ball behind him to Davis, who had been left all alone in the corner. Davis squared up, took his time, and threw up the corner three.

Swish. Two seconds left in the first half. Musashino inbounded and threw up a full-court shot that didn't hit anything as the buzzer went off.

"In three years, this team will be really good," TK mumbled on his way to the bench. "Three years they'll be hard to deal with."

"You gonna go make out with Kari again?" Davis asked, sitting down on one of the seats.

"I should," TK said. "It wouldn't be as cool this time though."

"Alright, backups, second half is your show. Milk the clock, play defense, and don't make us get back in there!" He sat down next to TK and Davis. "Good half. Heck of a way to start the season."

"Great job, everyone, great job!" Stewart yelled out. "And...and yeah, do what Ken said." He lamely turned back towards the court.

"Come on Ken, that's mean, let him do something," TK said, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.

"Yeah, you're right."

.

Derrick passed the ball to Jason on the right wing, who caught and squared up for several seconds.

"He's all grown up," TK said as Jason slowly started to dribble.

"You just have to contain his aggression into the proper channels." Ken watched as Manny came up to set a pick for Jason. Jason ran past the pick, and Manny neatly stepped out to the side as both defenders chased Jason. Jason bounced the ball to Manny. Manny caught, turned towards the basket, but hesitated on the shot long enough for the defender to get back to him. He took one dribble to the left, picked it up, and got the ball back over to Jason at the top. Jason had to throw up a long three that bricked off the side of the rim.

"He's gotta take that shot," Davis muttered. "That's his shot, he can make that."

"He needs some aggression, is all," Ken said. "Give him some of Jason's aggression and we're good."

"Isn't that simple."

Musashino ran the ball down, the point guard throwing a long baseball pass down by the basket to his shooting guard. He misjudged the pass and the ball flew out of bounds underneath the basket.

"I just want this team to get a third big man who we can trust. Someone who we can play in important games when things are close." TK watched Manny stand on the left baseline as Derrick dribbled around at the top. "He's the guy."

Derrick dribbled in to the free throw line, then bounced the ball to Steve on the low block. Steve rose the ball up, got his defender in the air, then slithered past him for a layup.

"Well, damn, I've never seen him do that before." Davis leaned back in his chair. "That was nice."

"I've never seen him do that in practice while being guarded by air." TK shrugged. "I'll buy him lunch one of these days."

Ken looked up at the scoreboard. Six minutes left in the fourth quarter, Rakunan up eight-five to fourty. "You guys realize we're gonna have a target on our back now?"

"And?" Davis asked.

"Everyone in this district is going to give us everything they got, all season, every game. We won district last year, we're doing this today...it's going to be a brutal struggle. All thirty two games." Ken nodded. "Everyone aims at the crown."

"Sounds good to me,"

Musashino ran the ball up and the point guard immediately threw up a three from the top that somehow, miraculously, went in.

"Well, when those shots start going in, I just want to go home," Ken said.

.

Kari frowned down at her right hand, holding a small nail brush in her left. "I'm awful at this." She turned around and showed TK the back of her fingers. "Look at this, it's a mess, it's a disaster."

"Yeah, totally. I think we need to break up. That's a real dealbreaker for me." TK said dryly. "Come on, we just doubled up our first opponent of the season, do I look like I care about your fingernail painting skills?"

"All my girl friends are so much better at it. Are you just supposed to be born with it? I don't get it." She shrugged and turned back around.

"Sorry, I'm running low on empathy right now. I just dumped twenty one points and grabbed nine rebounds and I only played fifteen minutes." TK waved his arms back and forth. "I'm high on adrenaline right now. It's replaced my empathy."

"You were fantastic. And I rather enjoyed your little stunt." Kari screwed the brush back into the top of her nail polish jar.

"Yes, I thought you would." He smirked. "Now you can say you've claimed me in public."

"Alright, you should probably go get some work done." Kari waved him off. "You've probably forgotten what your apartment looks like."

"Alright, alright, I'll get out of your hair." TK made for the door.

"Great game today," Kari said. "I mean, the way you started that game, it was...it was more than just three dunks and six points. After that third one, Musashino knew they had no chance to win that game. The game was over from that point on."

TK licked his lips. "That's the idea."


	32. Part 2 Chapter 4

Chapter 4

.

TK pressed his back up against his defender, slowly backing him down towards the basket. He glanced over his shoulder and felt the double-team rotating over slowly, so he picked up his dribble and raised the ball up in his right hand, spinning to his right. His man leaped high in the air, hands up, and TK simply took the ball back in and sidestepped the flailing defender. With no one there, he simply tossed up an easy layup into the basket.

"This is getting too easy for you," Ken said as Rakunan made their way back down the court. "We need to put a blindfold on you or something, make it a challenge."

"Easy is fine by me," TK replied. The big men on the other team today were a full nine inches shorter than TK and simply had no realistic chance at stopping him.

The other team dribbled down quickly, the point guard stopping at the top and going into a shooting motion. Ken got right up to him and got his hand up, forcing him to pull the shot back and quickly scoop the ball off to his teammate on the right wing. With Davis all over him, the shooting guard threw up a three that somehow managed to rattle through the rim.

"Don't you hate it when you do everything right and it still doesn't work?" Davis said as Luke inbounded the ball to Ken.

"The best revenge is to live well," TK said wryly as he jogged back down the court. Davis nodded and pursued him.

Ken got the ball to the top and TK went to the left elbow. Ken threw him the ball and a defender came up to futilely try to defend him. Suddenly, Davis darted from the left wing down to the low block, then ran back up towards TK, a defender chasing him. TK simply handed the ball over to Davis as he ran by, then took one step out to the right to step between Davis's defender and Davis. Davis spun around as soon as he crossed the three point line, a second of space between him and any defense, and launched the three.

Swish.

.

"Jennifer, c'mon, give me a break," TK groaned, putting his t-shirt back on. "This is a locker room, a men's locker room."

"Sports reporters go into male locker rooms all the time," Jennifer insisted, holding a notepad in one hand and a pen in the other. "Come on, I'm fine."

"Yes, sports reporters who get paid thousands of dollars. You're getting paid in hypothetical college application kudos. Now get out of here, you're not supposed to be in here."

"TK, come on!" Jennifer whined. "If I could be the first person to get my story in this week, that would mean an awful lot. It's a simple question. The team has won their first four games by an average of twenty-eight points a game, you're barely playing the second halves and still averaging nineteen points and ten rebounds a game, and people are talking about this team running the table. How does it feel?"

TK grunted, sitting down and grabbing his socks out of the locker, putting them on. "It feels like...we won our first four games by an average of twenty-eight points a game, I'm barely playing the second halves and still averaging nineteen points and ten rebounds a game, and people are talking about this team running the table. It feels a lot like that."

Jennifer put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"I'm sixty miles from home, I just played a competitive game of basketball, and it's a hundred degrees outside in October. Really not in the mood to do this right now." TK pointed towards the door.

"It's because I just joined the newspaper last week, isn't it?" Jennifer said, turning around and stomping off.

"No, I never talk to Dennis either." TK answered. Jennifer slammed the locker room door behind her.

"You talk to Melissa though," Davis commented wryly, shutting his locker and adjusting his shirt.

"Me and Melissa have a deal," TK said, putting his shoes on.

"It involves her wearing short-shorts whenever she wants an interview with him," Ken said loudly, drawing laughter from the locker room.

"No, she does that on her own," TK replied. "I give her exclusive rights to interview with me, she makes sure her articles are written in ways that I would approve of."

"TK, I'm impressed. That's shrewd work." Ken slapped him on the back. "That's professional level stuff right there."

"She doesn't spread rumors, she doesn't make stupid claims and accusations, she paints things in a positive light, and she dictates the way in which the team is discussed. No more crap like we had last year when we almost had a riot because of a losing streak. In return, I don't say a word to any of the other writers." TK closed his locker door. "Alright, time to go die of heat stroke in a bus."

"That's really good TK. I like that," Davis said. "I like that a lot. The first part, that is, the heat stroke sounds tragic."

"So if you guys ever want me to feed her something to throw into a story, let me know. We have an understanding." TK stood up, shrugging his backpack onto his shoulders, and headed for the locker room door. "It's a good relationship."

"You're learning fast man," Ken said.

As soon as TK opened the door and stepped out into the hall, Kari leaped up onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

"Well hello there," TK said. "So, assuming we survive the evil bus ride, who's up for catching a movie to get out of this wretched heat?"

"Instead of running from it, we could embrace it. Go to the beach," Kari suggested.

"Absolutely not," TK grunted. "I'm not playing your games, you just want to show me off at the beach."

"Guilty," Kari admitted. "But it's not a bad idea."

"Yes it is. It's october, this isn't natural. Global warming is real." TK shook his head. "Ridiculous. I am hiding in a movie theater, you guys can go commit suicide on a beach if you want to."

"If I die, who's going to run the offense?" Ken asked.

"Doesn't matter," TK said. "I just need someone who can dribble and pass me the ball."

"Alright, alright. Cinema it is." Kari nodded.

.

"This strikes me as a particularly bad omen," Davis mumbled.

"Bad omen?" TK repeated increduously. "This is the best thing that's happened all week!"

The two of them were staring out the window of Kari's apartment, Ken standing up over in the kitchen. The window was streaked with raindrops trailing down to the sill, others cascading down heavily on the glass.

"The heat wave has passed, not a moment too soon, this is awesome!" TK said. "I hope it rains for a month."

"Yeah, I was sick of it too, but still. It starts raining like mad the morning of a game. That has to be some sort of bad luck indicator." Davis shrugged.

"I love it," Ken said. "This sort of weather just gets me in the mood to sit down and play video games all day."

"Well, hold off on that for a few hours, will you?" TK asked, standing up and stretching. "Maybe hold off on it until tomorrow, the last thing I need to deal with is our point guard getting suspended because of grades."

"Come on, I thought you knew me better than that," Ken said. "My schedule is clear, I don't mix weekends and homework if I can help it."

"You're in all the AP classes!" Davis said.

Ken shrugged. "Either the teachers are going easy on me because they want me to focus on the team, or I need to start hitting myself in the head with a rock before I do homework."

"This isn't fair, somehow," Davis groaned. "It's genetic. That's all it is. What else could it be? Grades should get scaled based on how smart you are genetically."

"Alright, we should go catch the bus." Ken peered out the window.

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"I can hear them from here," Davis muttered. "I can feel them from here."

The crowd was already going absolutely nuts already. They could hear them screaming from the locker room, which was stupidly set up a good distance from the court, and feel the vibrations from it.

"Our crowd has never been this loud," TK said. "This team isn't even that good!"

"They've been good," Ken said. "And their fans never forgot. Still come out in droves for the game and go nuts for them."

"Loudest crowd I've heard at a game so far," Davis said. "Alright, they're not getting any quieter. Let's go."

"We might want to talk about some stuff in here. In case we can't hear each other out there." Ken stood up and walked over to TK. "Alright, it's really simple. They're a smaller team, so we're going to take control of the game with you. Just go right over them."

"Sounds like every other week to me," TK said, standing up.

"They'll probably double eventually, so you know what to do." Ken looked over at Davis. "Don't bite on shot fakes, they've got a shooting guard that can get to the line whenever he wants. Don't make it easy on him."

"Quincy, get ready to run around screens as fast as you ever have. This small forward guy is supposed to be a relentless defender."

"Nothing I'm not used to," Quincy replied, standing up. "Let's get out there."

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Luke tipped the ball back to Ken, who immediately went into a dribble as all the nine other players ran down underneath the Ohda basket. Ken took it up, his defender getting right up into his chest and making it a difficult trek.

Ken got to the top, TK simply taking position on the left low block and holding his hand up. He towered at least half a foot, probably more, over his defender, and Ken lobbed it up into his hands. TK caught it, pressing his back into his defender, still feeling the vibrations of the court from the cheering crowd.

In a whirl, TK spun towards the baseline and lifted the ball up in his left hand, scooping it towards the rim, sending it right over the outstretched hands of his opponent. The non-dominant hand scoop shot bounced off the backboard and rolled through the rim. Early two to nothing lead. The crowd did not relent their raucous cheers in the slightest.

Ohda quickly inbounded to their point guard, who walked the ball up.

"You think a ten nothing lead would get these guys to quiet down?" Davis asked, putting his mouth up to TK's ear so he could be heard.

"Only one way to find out," TK replied, stepping back down low as his man came down to try to post up.

The point guard got to the top, looking around as Ken crouched low in a defensive stance. He got the ball over to his fellow guard on the right wing, who turned to size up Davis.

In a flash, the guard drove past Davis towards the basket, Davis running alongside him trying to keep up. Luke lumbered over towards the play, ready to stop the drive to the basket. The shooting guard neatly sidestepped Luke, however, going underneath the basket and throwing the ball up against the backboard. The ball was just out of Luke's reach and TK's reaction was a hair too slow, and the ball bounced into the cup.

Luke grabbed the ball and got it to Ken, who was immediately tasked with defensive pressure from his man. He shuffled around, then managed to dash past him and run the ball across half-court and to the top as the offense assembled.

TK went to the low block, then walked up to the high block and planted his feet. Quincy ran over and brushed past him, going from the right corner to the left wing, using TK as a screener to shake away from his defender. Both Quincy's defender and TK's defender lunged after Quincy as Ken faked a pass over to the left wing, and then Ken hit the open TK.

TK turned to the basket, then took one dribble towards the basket. The center, the only line of defense between TK and the basket, took a large step back in preparation to defend against the drive. TK simply pulled up and fired up the twelve-foot jumper, bouncing it off the backboard and into the basket.

Unfazed, just like the crowd, Ohda immediately brought their own offense up.

"Trap the guard baseline if he tries to drive again," Ken said to Davis as he got down in a defensive stance.

Ohda took their time, letting the seconds tick away as their point guard dribbled at the top. The center came up and set a screen on Ken, letting the point guard finally make a move with eight seconds left on the shot clock. He drove hard to the basket, TK moving out towards him as he came to the basket. However, instead of going all the way to the basket, the guard flipped a tear-drop layup over the unprepared TK, the ball soaring up high before sinking through.

"Warned you about the rain," Davis muttered to TK. Luke inbounded to Ken.

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Quincy caught the pass in the left corner and was immediately swallowed up in tight perimeter defense by his man. Barely able to avoid stumbling out of bounds, Quincy quickly dished the ball down the baseline to Vincent. Vincent caught the pass and turned to shoot, but the center came over and leaped, blocking the shot back towards halfcourt. The buzzer sounded. Shot clock violation.

"I think their whole team chugged a six-pack of red bull each before the game." Ken tapped his foot on the court a few times. "Their energy is nuts."

TK leaned in next to Ken. "Time to panic?"

"Of course not," Ken said dismissively. "Everyone gets tired, especially when you play like this."

Ohda dribbled the ball up and went into an offensive formation. Their shooting guard ran through a double screen into the corner, but Davis managed to get back up on him just as the pass arrived. The guard threw the ball into the center on the low block, who spun to fire up a hookshot, but Luke leaped up to block it with his fingertips. The ball fell back down to Luke, who grabbed it and got it to Derrick.

TK looked up at the scoreboard. Ohda was up, thirteen to eleven, with seven minutes left in the second quarter.

"The whole season wasn't going to be as easy as the first four games, I always knew that," Ken said. "Just be ready to play the second half."

"I prefer being pre-emptive." TK turned down the bench, grabbed his towel, and flicked it down towards the coach. Stewart felt the touch on his arm and turned towards TK.

TK pointed at himself, then out at the court. Stewart walked down the bench, kneeling down in front of TK.

"You just came out," Stewart said into TK's ear. "You'll go in soon, take five minutes here-"

"Don't worry about me. I haven't broken a sweat this year yet. Next ball stoppage get me back in there. This lineup isn't gonna cut it, not today."

"We didn't exactly light the world on fire in the first quarter either," Stewart countered. "Let's give them some time."

Jason dribbled at the top, then drove past his defender towards the basket. Both bigs rotated over to get in front of him, and Jason tapped the ball over to Luke. As soon as Luke caught the ball, he threw it back to Jason, getting the center to lunge back his direction, giving Jason a lane. Jason went up for the basket, but somehow the power forward recovered and got up to block the shot back up to the free throw line.

"Unless Odha brings out stilts, they're not blocking my shots, I can tell you that," TK said. "Let me soften them up. Come on."

"Alright." Stewart stood up. "Next stoppage."

Odha recovered the loose ball and sprinted down, the small forward dribbling down towards the lane. Vincent managed to get in front of the play, so the small forward bounce passed it to his left over to the point guard. His pass was off target and bounced out of bounds, leaving possession back to Rakunan.

TK stood up and ran onto the court, pointing at Vincent.

"You're coming back in?" Vincent asked, panting.

TK nodded, raising his hand at the referee.

"Oh, thank god," Vincent said, quickly scampering over to the bench.

Luke inbounded the ball to Jason a few moments later after the courts had been set. Jason dribbled it up, TK walking up behind him casually. Instead of running down to the block, he came up to the free throw line and set a pick on Jason's right side. Jason immediately used it to get a lane to the basket, darting through the free space. As Jason's defender pushed around TK, TK spun and took off for the basket. With a sidelong glance, Jason chucked the ball up towards the rim. TK had been given a bit of space, and leaped up towards the ball.

The center came over from Luke and jumped into TK, pushing him away from the basket. TK caught the ball as he heard the referee whistle the foul, and quickly flipped it up at the basket as he started to fall away from it. He hit the ground and stumbled backwards into Quincy, and watched the ball float into the basket.

The crowd finally stopped cheering, gasping at the display as TK pumped his fist and stepped over to the free throw line.

.

TK caught the swing pass from Quincy on the left baseline and spun to face the basket. His defender was caught slightly off balance, so he bulled right past him towards the basket. The center was late running over to help, so TK elevated up after a dribble and slammed the ball home powerfully. He again got the crowd to quiet down with that one, turning to run down the court and enjoying the silence.

Ohda fearlessly brought the ball back up on the other end, the point guard getting up to the top and staring down Ken.

The shooting guard ran around a screen set by the power forward to come up to the right wing, getting open for a couple seconds. The point guard got him the ball and he spun to fire up the three. The ball bounced off the back of the rim, careening towards TK, who rose up to get it. But the small forward managed to sneak underneath TK's arm and get his hand up to tip the ball away from him, back out to the right wing. The shooting guard caught the pass and fired up a second shot as the buzzer for the end of the first half sounded. Swish.

TK stood there, looking up at the basket stupidly for a few seconds, before turning to look at Ken.

"I can not account for that," TK said slowly.

"Happens to the best of us," Ken said quickly, slapping his back and pointing towards the bench. "Alright, come on."

"What's the line from Rocky? He doesn't think it's a show, he thinks it's a fight?" TK scratched the back of his head. "I think that's what we're looking at."

Ken sat down heavily, rubbing his chin. "It's an effort thing. Hope you're ready to play the whole second half."

TK looked up at the score. Knotted up at thirty-one. "If that's what it takes, I'm ready for it."

"Alright, come on guys!" Stewart yelled over the still-present din of murmur from the large crowd. "We're not protecting the rim, we're not getting open on the perimeter, and we're losing the rebounding battle! That's all this is! We have a full half of basketball to figure this out and fix it, or we're gonna lose! That's all we're looking at here!"

"I mean, what is this?" TK asked genuinely, looking at Ken. "I'm not...tired, I feel like I'm giving effort, I think we all are! I don't get it."

Ken looked around for a minute. "Heavy lays the crown."

"Huh?" Davis asked, leaning in towards Ken. "What was that?"

"We won district last year and everyone spent all summer talking about how great we are!" Ken replied. "And we've been stomping everyone this first month. So now, all these teams we play, they're playing us like it's the championship game! They know the only way to take us down is if they give everything they have. Full effort. We have a target on our back. Teams look at us and know that it'll take a superhuman effort to take us down. So that's what they give. And we have to match it!"

"Did you hear that guys?" TK called out, looking down the bench. "Superhuman effort! Every single one of these last sixteen minutes!"

"Superhuman effort is great," Quincy replied, leaning back against the bench. "But the way I see it, we have an actual superhero on our team."

TK grinned and nodded. "Alright. You guys just get me the ball, and I'll make things happen. They'll loosen up eventually, until then I'll make them pay."

"Get used to it," Ken whispered, leaning up next to TK's ear. "We're going to see this sort of effort every game we play for the rest of our high school careers."


	33. Part 2 Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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First, sorry for the long-ish delay on this chapter. Things changed at my location of work and things were very hectic for awhile, so I needed time to get everything there resolved before I could invest time in writing. But I should be updating more starting now.

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Davis slowly walked around the screen set by TK on the left wing, eyes on the players in front of him. When TK ran towards the basket, both defenders followed him for just a split second, and Davis rose up to fire the three. It rattled around the rim before falling through.

"Beautiful!" Ken yelled as the five ran back on defense. "Beautiful! They're loosening up!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," TK grumbled, falling back in around the paint.

Ohda walked the ball up, Ken lunging towards the ball and forcing the point guard to pick it up. Panicked, he simply flung the ball up towards the basket, hoping one of his teammates would catch it. However, TK was much taller than anyone else, and easily rose his right hand up to grab it.

In the same motion of catching it, TK launched it like a catapult down the court, as Ken had immediately taken off. It bounced around the free throw line once before Ken caught it, casually dribbling in to the basket ahead of the defense and laying it in.

Whistle, timeout.

"They're coming back in," TK said, walking over to Davis in the corner on the Rakunan side of the court. "Look, he's putting the starters back in."

"Some rest," Davis replied. "Thirty seconds, maybe."

"Watch out, remember how hard these guys came," TK said. "We might need to play most of the rest of the game."

"Well, they gotta tire eventually, right?" Davis asked.

"We'll see."

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TK pushed back against his defender, taking a dribble, pausing when he realized the ball wasn't coming back up into his hand. Looking back in front of him, he saw that one of the Ohda guards had swiped it away from him and had thrown it ahead to the point guard. He ran to catch up to it, a step ahead of Ken, running towards the open basket.

He scooped the ball up, slowing down slightly and allowing Ken to run into him as the ball went up. TK winced as he heard the whistle blow and watched the ball float through the basket. Three point play.

"Can we panic yet?" Davis asked, falling into step next to TK as the two of them walked down to the other end of the court.

"I don't get it," TK muttered. "There's no holes in their defense. There are always supposed to be holes." He looked up at the scoreobard. Odha was up 75-69 with five minutes left. "Alright. Everyone get on my back."

"Huh?"

TK started strolling towards the bench. "Guess it's on me. Get me the ball."

"Alright, alright! Come on, guys! We're still in this!" Stewart yelled. "They're not going away! You have to play harder than them! That's the only way! These last five minutes, we play harder than them, we win! We don't, we lose!"

TK put his hand on Ken's shoulder, drawing his gaze. "Get it to me, I've got this."

"You sure?" Ken asked. "You've had a rough half, I count five turnovers."

"Yes, I'm sure. It's the only way. Get it to me," TK said, nodding.

"Ken, Davis, Quincy, TK, Luke! It's you guys for the rest of the game! Get it done!" Stewart pointed out towards the court.

The huddle broke and Davis immediately walked over towards TK and Ken. "C'mon guys, that's not the right lineup and you know it, say something. We gotta go small."

"It's the only lineup." Ken glanced around. "Our freshmen aren't ready for a moment like this."

"I miss Marcus right now," Davis said quietly. "They're gonna double you every time."

"You think I don't know that?" TK said. "I'll get it done, just get it to me."

The whistle blew and Luke ran down the court to take the ball from the referee underneath the basket. He bounced the ball to Ken, who spun around and darted up the court.

TK went down to the low post, then walked two steps away from the basket, close to the elbow. One defender followed him up there, while the other stayed with Luke on the other side of the basket. Quickly, Ken took advantage of the opening and bounced the ball to TK.

TK turned around slowly, then made a quick-twitch move to his right, dribbling the ball past his defender. Sure enough, as soon as he got close enough to the basket, Luke's defender stepped over, waiting as long as possible before making the move. TK crossed his dribble over to his left hand and cut left, squeezing inbetween his two defenders, barely getting through the pair. TK went up, scooping the ball towards the basket with his left hand, bouncing it off the backboard and through the rim.

TK immediately turned around and ran back down the court as Ohda inbounded it. Unlike Rakunan, they were more than happy to take their time coming up the court, getting to the top and allowing their point guard to dribble around for about twenty seconds. TK's man slowly started going up towards the top, then bolted up to set a screen on Ken's right side.

TK chased him up, making a small lunge out towards the point guard as he sped around the screen. That small lunge gave the point guard just enough to thread the ball through to TK's man, who had spun and taken off to the basket. As soon as he received the pass, he turned his head to the basket and flipped the ball up high into the air right over Luke's outstretched hand. The ball hung up in the air for what felt like several minutes, then dropped right through the net.

The crowd went nuts, TK biting his lower lip as Luke grabbed the ball and stepped out of bounds. He shook it off as the ball was inbounded, then took off down the court.

Ken came up with a head of steam, pounding the ball into the court on his way up, stopping just behind the three point line. Davis was standing on the right wing, behind the arc, hands on his hips. In a flash, after TK went down to the low post, Davis dashed towards the basket, past his relaxed defender, and got the pass from Ken. Things had happened so fast, the Odha big men couldn't help but step out towards him, and Davis lofted the ball up high towards the basket. TK had been left alone, and rose up to catch the ball in his right hand, then slam it home on his way down. The crowd gasped as TK hit the ground.

TK grimaced as he looked up at the scoreboard. Odha up by four with four minutes to go. Long way from done.

Odha took it up, again in no rush to do anything. After letting most of the shot clock tick down, the shooting guard cut across the court and came out on the left wing to receive a pass. Davis came up to defend him just as he caught it. Immediately, the shooting guard spun and fired a pass in to the power forward, who was standing on the low post with TK on his back.

The power forward dribbled twice, then slithered along the baseline by TK to the basket. As soon as he got past TK, he flipped the ball up to the basket. TK raised his right hand up and blocked it, tapping it down and snatching it after it bounced up.

Ken ran back to grab the fast pass from TK, then took off at full speed down the court. Two defenders were back ahead of Ken, but he pushed forward anyway, plowing past the three point arc as the point guard tried to guide him away from the basket.

Ken fired a pass behind his back to TK, who caught it one step inside the three point line, and immediately started taking massive steps towards the basket with only one man to beat.

Just before getting underneath the basket, TK stopped and spun completely the other direction, causing his defender to fall down, then went straight up and slammed the ball through the rim. Again, the crowd took a moment to appreciate the display with an audible gasp. TK landed and ran down the court again, forgetting the basket as soon as it was registered.

"Come on guys! Defense!" TK yelled as he ran down to the low post. "Defense!"

Odha went back into their offense, all five players standing around the three point arc this time, leaving the entire area around the paint wide open. Both bigs stood in the corners and the wings stood on the wings, the point guard at the top.

The play dragged on and on for several seconds, TK refusing to relax on defense, but nobody on Odha moved from their spots. The shot clock ticked down to seven, and finally the point guard twitched right, then drove left towards the basket. He got half a step on Ken, and nobody was around the basket to otherwise influence the play.

Having to make a fast decision, TK sprinted from the corner towards the basket, taking massive steps towards the two guards driving to the basket. Ken tried to get back in to contest the play, but he was just barely behind. TK got to the paint and jumped up as the point guard lofted the layup past Ken. TK just barely got up in time to get his fingertips on it, and the ball popped straight up into the air. TK hit the ground, then went right back up to catch the ball.

He took off down the court, dribbling, taking long steps and forcing the defense to sprint to try to head him off. At half court, he passed it up the right side to Ken, then continued to bolt for the basket.

Ken dribbled past the three point line, a Odha defender managing to head him off, before throwing it back to TK just inside the three point line. TK caught, took two big dribbles towards the basket, then picked the ball up as two Odha defenders got in front of him. He spun around and fired the ball over to the left wing, just as Quincy got there to catch it. With no defender around, Quincy lifted off for a rare open three, with that perfect form and lightning-quick release.

Bang. The crowd fell silent as the scoreboard moved to recognize a new leader, Rakunan up by a single point. TK turned and ran down the court, high-fiving Quincy on the way, but quickly getting all the way down to get into defensive position.

Odha, clearly shook, slowly took the ball up and stood around for most of the shot clock in basic post positions. The shooting guard finally took off, running from the right wing, through a pair of screens in the paint, all the way out to the left wing with Davis chasing. The point guard got him the ball, but Davis had stayed close, and gave him no room to shoot after he caught it.

The shooting guard glanced up at the shot clock, took one dribble to the right, then fired up a shot just inside the three point line with Davis's hand in his face. The ball bounced off the right side of the rim and spun up, TK rising above both Odha big men and snatching it.

He held it for a second before throwing it to Ken, and this time it was Rakunan taking their time up the court. Ken slowly got the ball across half court, then took his time while his teammates slowly got into position. TK wiped his forehead off, looking up at the shotclock as time went off.

With eight seconds left, TK took one step out towards Ken and Ken lobbed the ball up to him. As soon as TK caught it, he motioned like he was going to throw the ball into the corner. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the center flinch out towards the corner. In a flash, he spun around his defender, the way clear for just a second. He went up towards the basket just as the center tried to recover and get up to stop him, slamming it home as the center's arms raked against his chest.

Foul. Basket good. And one.

.

"What happened today?" Davis was sitting on the floor, legs crossed in front of him, contemplating a spot of the floor in front of him.

"Well, TK proved that he's a lot bigger and stronger than everyone else out there," Kari replied, on her knees in the corner of the room, going through the bottom drawer of a wooden cabinet. "There was that."

"No. No, I mean...we should have squashed them." Davis frowned. "That's an average team. Should have been a forty point blowout. I don't get it."

"Well, when you start thinking things like that, you have a letdown game." Kari pulled a pair of dark blue jeans out of the cabinet. "Long pants weather. Finally here."

"We didn't let down." Davis shook his head. "We played hard, they just...they just played hard too. I've never had that hard of a time getting open looks in my life. I came off screens, caught the ball, spun around, and my guy was standing two inches away. It's like we were playing a video game and turned the difficulty up from easy to hardcore."

Ken sighed. "I think we're starting to see it. Teams want to take our heads off." Ken stood up from his seat on the floor, scratching the top of his head. "Particularly on the road. Nobody wants to lose by fourty in front of their home crowd fans. We're getting everyone at their absolute best."

"Well great," Davis said disdainfully. "So they try their best. We're better than them. Their best shouldn't matter to us! Did we not try our best? I don't get it."

Ken thought for a few seconds. "It's a lot of things."

"Like what?" Davis asked.

"We'll talk about it on monday, I need time to organize my thoughts. But today was not that last time we're going to see what we saw." Ken nodded grimly. "I'll leave it at this for now, we need to get our freshmen up to speed quickly."

"Avert your eyes," Kari said, drapping the jeans over her left shoulder and reaching down towards her shorts.

"You're far too trusting," Ken said, looking away. "You realize Davis is in here, right?"

"As long as my boyfriend is over a foot taller than him, I'm really not worried," Kari replied, pulling her shorts off and quickly jumping into her jeans. "Speaking of which..." she quickly walked out of her bedroom and over to the door right across from it. She knocked on the door a few times. "You're gonna use all the hot water!"

"I'm not using any hot water," TK replied from the other side. "Come on, give me some kind of credit."

"You better not be. If you are, I'll know." Kari turned away from the door, hands on her hips.

"And you'll do what, exactly?" TK called back. Nevertheless, a second later, she heard the water stop flowing out of the showerhead.

"Seriously, we probably should have lost today," Davis mused. "Would have lost if TK didn't turn into Superman at the end. It's not good."

"Heavy lays the crown, Davis," Ken said slowly. "Everyone wants to knock off the guys at the top. And in this district, right now, that's us. Get used to the idea."

Kari walked back into the room. "Ken's right. Martin, Manny, Jamal, those guys will decide how the rest of this season goes."

Davis stood up. "I just don't get it."

"We're stale again," Ken said, looking over at Davis. "Like last year. Without Marcus, our lineups are limited. We can't go small like we did last year and produce the same results. It doesn't matter how good we are, because we're predictable. And when we get predictable, the only real advantage we have is that TK is bigger and stronger than everyone else." Ken grimaced, looking around the room. "Those three guys, they can make us unpredictable again."

"That's a pretty good advantage to have, you know," Davis said. "TK could score sixty points a game against most of these teams."

"Yeah, now," Ken said dryly. "Three months from now, when he's exhausted and worn out from carrying the team every saturday? Not gonna happen. We can't play him thirty-two minutes every single game, or the end of the season is gonna be ugly."

The bathroom door opened and TK stumbled out, wearing only a large green bathrobe.

"The hero returns!" Ken said, gesturing towards TK.

"Shaddap," TK grumbled, walking into the room gingerly. "I wouldn't have to do stuff like that if you guys weren't so short."

"You gonna be alright?" Davis asked as TK stalked over to Kari's bed.

"Yes, so long as nobody bothers me for the next fourty-eight hours." TK collasped face-first onto the bed, then rolled over onto it.

"Drama queen." Ken said sarcastically. "Pain is weakness leaving the body, you know."

"Really?" TK moaned, dragging his head up onto the pillow. "Then how about I knock your head around for a few minutes and see how much weakness I can get out of your body?"

"Alright, don't worry, starting monday I'll kick off a plan so this doesn't happen again," Ken said. "Thanks for those last five minutes, seriously. We'll get better."

Both Davis and Ken made for the bedroom door as Kari jumped onto the bed next to TK and tried to shove him off.

"I don't care how many points you had today, you are _not_ laying there for fourty-eight hours," she hissed, pushing against his back. "Off!"

TK grunted, then rolled over and reached his long arms out towards her. She tried to slip away, but he managed to wrap them around her stomach, pinning her arms to her sides as he did so, then constricting her tight to his chest. She flailed and squirmed as TK settled down on the bed, smiling thinly as Kari attempted to get away. After a few seconds, she stopped struggling and snorted, frowning darkly as TK kept her helplessly pinned down.


	34. Part 2 Chapter 6

Chapter Six

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"Manny, Manny! You gotta make that rotation!" TK walked over towards the baseline. "If you don't make that rotation, that's a free basket for the other team!" He stood next to Manny, pointing out towards the wing. "Trust your teammates to rotate behind you! Get in front of the man with the ball, force an extra pass, give your teammate an extra second to recover!"

"Who called timeout? Why are we stopping?" Davis called out.

Ken scooped the ball up in his right hand and lightly bounced it against the left side of Davis's head. Davis reached up towards where it had hit as the ball bounced back into his hand.

"Quiet," Ken said as Davis glared at him.

"Well, we're playing a game here, you can't just stop playing without a timeout," Davis said quietly. Ken raised the ball back up in his right hand towards Davis. Davis leaned away from Ken, holding his hands up.

"Force the jumpshot, Manny. Force them to shoot a jumper, force them to pass, but don't give them free points. Leaving your man is okay to stop free points." TK clapped his hands together a few times. "You gotta be able to rotate on defense if you wanna play in games."

Ken rolled the ball over to Jamal. "Alright, Jamal, run the offense for a little bit. Remember the stuff we talked about."

Jamal threw the ball over to Vincent as all the other eight players ran down the court. Vincent stepped out of bounds and threw it to Jamal. Jamal took the ball down the court.

"Dribble down, eyes up!" Ken called. Quincy came up to the top on defense. "Come on, Jamal! You can't run an offense if you can't handle the ball!"

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"Just like in practice, you got me, Manny?" TK looked right into Manny's eyes, hand on ihs shoulder. "You set the screen, pop out to the side, you get the pass, you're open, you fire and shoot immediately! Do not hesitate! If you are open, you shoot, just like in practice! If the ball rotates around to you and you're open, you shoot!"

Manny nodded, then turned and ran onto the court. TK took a step back and sat down on the bench.

"What, have you adopted him or something?" Davis said snidely. "Does he sleep on the floor in your room?"

TK reached over and flicked his index finger against Davis's forehead. "Enough from the peanut gallery. I want to be able to trust my backup."

Davis rubbed the side of his head. "Glad I don't have to worry about that."

"You and Quincy need to work with Martin," Ken said quickly, scooting off the edge of the bench and going down to one knee right at the out of bounds line, eyes on the ball down on the other side of the court. "Teach him court spacing, where to be in the offense, get him to where he can make threes from the corner."

"Alright, adoption party! Me and Quincy adopting Martin, I love it!" Davis clapped. "Should I talk to him about defense too?"

"You couldn't teach a girl defense," Ken said snidely. "Please don't."

Jamal dribbled the ball up, Ken watching him carefully.

"He's definitely stiff," Ken muttered. "I know he can do it, but he doesn't have his mind around the concept of doing everything at once instinctively."

Manny ran up and set a pick on Jamal's side, but he was too far away from Jamal and the defender was able to easily get in front of Jamal as he tried to drive.

"Not there yet," TK said, grimacing. He looked up at the scoreboard. Rakunan was up seventy-eight to fifty with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. "Not there yet."

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"Finally!" TK exclaimed, eyes on the computer screen in front of him. "It's about time someone in Rakunan bought a good quality video camera. Check it out, someone posted a video of yesterday's game, and you can actually see what's going on! I think it's the whole game."

Davis came up behind TK and bent down to watch over his shoulder. "Jump to the late third quarter, that's the part I want to see again."

"Hey, Ken, put the controller down, get over here and check this out." TK called out.

"Pass," Ken said languidly, leaning back against the couch's backrest, controller in his hands. "The team has eight wins and zero losses and the last three games have been blowouts. All is well, and I don't want to spend my sunday watching tape. I want to spend it working on my Caesar's Legion run."

"Yes, but...well, first of all, don't do a Caesar's Legion run, they're awful evil people and you don't want to side with them. Second, the freshmen are still not ready, and you know that!" TK jumped the video ahead to near the end of the fourth quarter. "Come on, let's figure this out."

"Crap," Davis grunted. "This guy is shaking all over the place. It's like I'm watching Cloverfield all over again. Doesn't know how to hold a camera."

"Jamal takes the ball up, tries to set up an offensive play, doesn't even notice his man coming up and taking the ball away until it's too late," TK said, watching the video. "Right before the end of the third quarter. Look, he's looking in the right corner at Derrick, trying to figure out what he wants to do, and he doesn't even see this guy come up."

"TK, I hear everything you're saying," Ken said. "I do. It's fine. Chill out."

"We've got Denen next week, and they're really good. This kind of stuff, which was meaningless yesterday, is going to mean a whole lot next week. I'm not chill." TK jumped the video forward a few minutes again. "Manny misses the defensive rotation because he's confused on the dribble-drive, leaves a wide open ten foot jumper on the right wing."

"They're freshmen, TK," Ken said simply. "I know they're not there yet. What you're saying, it's all true, but you can't be surprised. This is the first truly competitive basketball they've played in their lives. Junior High basketball is borderline, and before that it's just fooling around. They've been here two months. Guys like us, us three, everyone's not like that. You gotta turn down your expectations. Most freshmen are like this to start."

TK frowned, turning back to the video. Jamal threw a bounce pass underneath the basket to Vincent, who caught it and quickly scooped it up through the basket. "I guess."

"Remember how long it took with Quincy?" Ken reminded him. "And Quincy was gifted with the most beautiful shot stroke I've seen in awhile. Just calm down, man."

TK nodded. "Alright. You're right." He stood up, taking in a deep breath. He glanced at the TV screen in front of Ken. "Don't you have homework?"

"Nope," Ken replied quickly. "Don't you?"

TK glanced around. "Screw you man." He walked towards the bedroom door. "I'm going home."

"Academic suspension is more dangerous than any defender!" Ken called out. "Remember that!"

"Shut your mouth," TK said warningly as he closed the door behind him.

"Davis, that goes for you too," Ken said, motioning his head at the door behind him. "Go on."

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"In light of your incredible success on the Rakunan basketball team, TK, do you see yourself trying out for the football team next year to stretch your success into other sports?" Melissa asked, leaning against the locker, pen and notepad in hand.

TK laughed as he stood up. "Do you _want_ me to break both my legs before my Junior season?" He shook his head. "Even if that doesn't happen I'll get hit on the head so many times I'll start shooting at the wrong basket in games."

"Baseball, then?" Melissa asked, trailing him as he started to walk towards the door across the locker room.

"I'm not good at baseball. Not high school good at least," TK replied quickly.

"Soccer?"

"Not my sport either," TK said. "I like it, but that's not my realm."

"Track and field? Volleyball? Water Polo?" Melissa continued to press.

"I'm a one sport athlete Melissa," TK said. "I mean, maybe with training I could become a great wide receiver in football or whatever, but this is my focus. I want to keep my mind on this one sport for the time being." He grabbed the doorknob, then turned to look at Melissa. "I've gotta go, this is a big game."

"See you later, good luck today!" Melissa said as TK twisted the doorknob open and ran off through the hallway, heading towards the gym.

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Davis ran to the baseline just as the pass got there, feet setting two steps inside the three point line. He lifted off and got the shot off in a flash, before any defense could get even close to recovering to him, nobody even close to him. Swish.

"Ken!" Davis called out on the way back down. "You drew three defenders on that drive! Did you see that? Three!"

Ken nodded. "All part of the plan."

Denen dribbled up, their point guard quickly setting up the offense. As soon as he got the to the top, the four other offensive players started to scramble around the court randomly, attempting to confuse the defense into leaving someone wide open on accident. The Rakunan defense maintained discipline as everyone started running around.

The small forward managed to squeeze free on a path to the basket and the point guard bounced it in to him. Quincy gave chase, but Luke saw the play as it was happening and got in position to step in front of the basket. The small forward lifted off for a jumper over Luke, which just barely managed to get up over Luke's outstretched hand. The ball bounced off the front of the rim and off the backboard before rebounding to TK. TK grabbed it and immediately wheeled around and threw it up to Ken a few steps before half-court.

Ken turned around and saw three Denen defenders alright on the other side of the court, but nevertheless took off like a rocket. As Ken crossed half court, the nearest defender got right in front of him to head him off. Ken crossed over, changing direction and leaving the first man flailing near the out of bounds line. At the three point line, Ken make the smallest of motions toward the left side and got the second defender leaning that way before zipping right past him. The last one had taken camp right in front of the basket, but part of his focus was on waiting to see which of Ken's teammates would run up behind him to get a pass. Ken took advantage of this, spinning a full 360 right past him and laying it up off the backboard and through the basket.

The crowd erupted. They saw TK dunk it five times every game, Quincy and Davis were always good for hitting threes, and Luke always made sure to throw in an energetic block or two. But Ken going full court and making three defenders look foolish was a rare treat. Ken landed and ran back down the court as every single person in the bleachers went wild.

"Ken!" Coach Stewart yelled out. "What are you doing here?! That stuff is too good for high school! Holy wow, that was something!"

"You're feeling it today!" Davis called out, running next to Ken at the top of the key as Denen came up.

"Sometimes you have to make yourself feel it," Ken replied simply. "Today's one of those days." Ken walked up near halfcourt to get up on his man.

"He's never gonna stop being cryptic, is he?" Davis mumbled to himself.

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Star Denen shooting guard Ray came rocketing off a screen from the center that Davis was frantically trying to get through. The point guard got him the ball on the left wing, behind the three point line, and Ken couldn't help but wince as he caught and fired. His shooting motion was quicker than even Davis's, and there was no chance for him to contest the shot. The ball rattled through the rim.

"Come on, Davis. That's what he lives for!" Ken called out as TK took the ball and stepped out of bounds. Ken ran up to him to get the pass, then turned around and jogged the ball up.

Ken got to the top and waited for the rest of their offense to take position. He casually looked into the left corner at Quincy, waited for about two seconds, then accelerated in a flash and drove around the left side of his defender. The defender was so shocked by Ken driving that he was out of the play before he even moved. Ken went right to the basket as both the power forward and center collapsed on him.

He took the ball in his right hand and emphatically threw it across his body, making it look like he was chucking a fastball into the left corner to Quincy. Just as the ball got to the left side of his body, however, he neatly punched the ball back to his right, where TK was standing right by the basket. The entire defense had leaned left towards the corner, and TK was able to catch the pass and lay it up as if he was all by himself in the gym.

"Twenty-three to seventeen, people!" Ken cried as he ran down the court. "Last possessions of the first quarter, settle down and do your job for one more possession!"

Denen took the ball up, this time going slowly after a quarter of moving at a fast pace. Their point guard simply dribbled the time off at the top, finally throwing it into the low post with ten seconds left on the shot clock.

The power forward dribbled a few times, pressing up against TK. He was just about to make his move when Ken came over from the baseline and poked the ball away. It bounced away up towards the free throw line, where Ken managed to get control of it right before a Denen player grabbed it.

Again, Ken took off like a rocket down the court, two Denen defenders running with him. He pressed forward past the half court line as the two attempted to force him to the right side of the court. Ken seemed to oblige, dribbling down the path they forced him to take, headed towards the right corner.

Suddenly, he flung the ball behind his back all the way over to the left wing. All the Denen players froze as Quincy caught the pass, nobody within twenty feet of him, and launched the open three as the first quarter buzzer sounded.

Bottom. The crowd went nuts yet again. They had become used to special things happening, but that play had a little extra going for it. They directed their cheers toward Ken as he jogged over to the bench.

"You keep this up and they'll start double teaming you at the top," TK said as the two of them came to the bench.

"They do that and I'll have fourty assists in the next three quarters." Ken gave his head a quick shake. "Fifty."

"You're a monster today, keep it up." TK sat down on the bench.

Davis came over and sat down next to TK heavily. "Absolutely sick stuff," he muttered.

"Hey Davis." Ken cleared his throat. "Be ready. I want to bombard them with threes now. It's all you and Quincy."

"Sure thing," Davis replied, reaching underneath the bench.

"Gentlemen!" Stewart yelled out. "Alright! They're trying to turn the game into a track meet. They're moving fast in everything they do! Getting shots fast, trying to tire us out! They want to test our depth! We have to be proactive here or we'll have nothing left for the fourth quarter! The lineup to start the second is going to be Derrick, Ken, Davis, Manny, and TK! A little different than what we're used to, but it can work! They're an undersized jumpshooting team, so they can't hurt us if we go small! Ken, it's all on you to make decisions! This lineup is going to spread the court, and free you up for drives to the basket! If they start doubling you or focusing on you, you're surrounded with shooters! Remember that their bigs can shoot from outside, so don't forget about them!"

Ken clapped a few times. "Sure thing! Manny, TK, when we're on offense stay away from the low blocks. Force the defense to show us what they're going to do with this lineup."

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"Get in front of him, Manny!" TK called out as the layup from Ray fell through the basket. "That was you! Make him give the ball up!"

Manny nodded, grimacing to himself as TK took the ball and inbounded it to Ken. Ken took the ball up the court, slowing to allow the rest of the offense to assemble. Derrick and Davis went to the wings behind the three point line, while TK and Manny went to either baseline about fifteen feet from the basket.

Ken casually dribbled for a couple seconds, then dropped down and darted around his defender. The defender shuffled to keep in front of him, but Ken was too quick and clever to be stopped by one person. Ken went around his back as he switched direction to the left side of the lane, easily lifting up for a layup that nobody contested.

Denen quickly pushed their offense up, still attempting to set a frenetic pace to tire Rakunan out. The point guard got right up to the top, then let his center come up to set a screen on Ken's side. TK came up and leaned out slightly towards the point guard as he went around the pick, not giving him a lane to the basket. The point guard lofted the ball up over TK's head, and TK realized a second too late that his man had gone backdoor into the lane and now had a clear path to the basket. After catching the pass, he spun around to the basket to go in for the layup. Manny, however, jumped in front of the play, forcing the center to loft a short jumper. The ball went through the rim regardless.

"There you go, Manny!" TK yelled as he grabbed the ball and went out of bounds. "That's the idea!"

Ken got the pass and walked the offense up. Things went exactly as they did on the last possession. Everyone took their positions, away from the basket, so Ken would have room to drive. This time, as soon as Ken started his drive, the power forward dashed under the basket to provide a second defender. Ken countered by simply whistling the pass over to Manny on the right baseline.

Manny caught the pass, squared up, and lofted up the fifteen foot jumper. The ball bounced off the back of the rim and popped up into the air. TK came in from the other side of the rim, leaped up, and tapped the ball back up and through the basket.

"That's good, Manny," TK said, running over towards him as the two went back down the court. "That's what we want! You get that shot, you take that shot! Don't hesitate, keep taking that shot! It'll happen!"

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Davis caught the pass from Ken just behind the three point line on the left wing. He lifted up and launched the three, which went off the left side of the rim and over to the Denan center. He flubbed the rebound, letting it bounce off the tips of his fingers, and Ken darted it and tapped it back to Davis. Davis was still wide open, and repeated the identical shot. This one swished through.

"Come on, how many chances do I have to give you?" Ken asked as he ran back down the court.

The whistle blew as Denen signalled a timeout. Both sides went to their benches.

"Derrick, Jason, Quincy, Manny, Luke!" Stewart called out. "You guys close out the third quarter! When we have the ball, play slow, milk the possession, don't get sucked in by their pace! If we use the shotclock, they're not going to have time to come back. There's a little more than ten minutes left and we're up sixteen! Use the clock and we win!"

Davis and Ken took seats on the bench, but TK opted to kneel down by the sideline as the new lineup entered the game.

"You're a demon out there today, my friend," Davis said, wiping his face off. "Don't suppose we'll be seeing that every week, will we?"

"Fat chance," Ken replied, glancing over at TK. "I'm going to be a corpse for the rest of the weekend. But it was important."

"Can I get some plain english out of you?" Davis asked. "What's that all supposed to mean?"

"It's important that TK sees that he's not the only player on this team who can take over a game," Ken said. Denen brought the ball up on offense. "Right now, he's feeling a lot of pressure. Feeling like he has to be amazing every game for us to win. So sometimes, someone else has to step up and show that there are other people who can carry the team."

Ray nailed a three from the left corner, Jason sagging a tiny bit in defense to allow it. Ken winced.

"TK's in a slightly dangerous place right now. He's frustrated with the freshmen not coming along as fast as he wants, he feels like it's all on him. That's what this is about. Sometimes, someone else has to do something to say that it's not always all on him." Ken nodded.

"Huh. I never thought about it that way," Davis mused.

"Thinking has never been your speciality," Ken replied. "Your day will come. One of these days, maybe it'll be you." Ken looked at TK, still down on one knee by the out of bounds line. "He's something else. Very special player. We have to do some things to make sure he's as good mentally as he is physically."

Jason let the shot clock dwindle down as much as he could while he dribbled at the top, then called Manny up for a screen. Manny set it on Jason's left side, this time making an appropriate one and giving Jason the opportunity to drive around him. Both defenders went out towards Jason and Manny leaked out onto the right elbow. Jason threw him a bounce pass, and Manny turned to the basket. Without hesitation, he launched the sixteen foot shot at the rim as the center tried to close out on him, this time nailing it right through.

TK slapped his palm against the floor. "That's it! That's exactly what it's about!"

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"Thirty-three points, sixteen assists, and five steals!" Kari exclaimed, plopping down on the edge of the bed next to Ken. "Sorry TK, looks like you've been replaced. I can't date second place!"

Ken reached over and pushed her off the bed, sending her crashing down to the floor. "Nobody but me sits on my bed. Nobody."

Kari frowned, standing up and rubbing her butt. "Alright TK, it's your lucky day, we're still on."

TK patted Kari on the back. "There there. I know you're disappointed," he said dryly.

"Alright, you've all paid your respects to the holy shrine of Ken and his incredible basketball abilities, now get out of my apartment," Ken said, falling back against his bed. "Why'd you guys follow me home anyway? Buncha weirdos. Davis that's you too!" He pointed towards the door. "Shoo!"


	35. Part 2 Chapter 7

Chapter 7

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"Well that makes a tremendous amount of sense," TK groaned, sprawled out on the couch, arms folded in front of him, face slightly reddened. "The heat wave ends, it finally starts raining, and I come down with a fever of all things?"

"Fevers don't necessarily work like that," Kari said from the kitchen, standing in front of a small pot on the stove filled with a yellow soup.

"I know, but still, it's weird." TK laid back, staring up at the ceiling, his vision swimming slightly. "I hate being sick."

"Go put more clothes on, it's like forty degrees out," Kari chided, peering over at TK. He was wearing a white t-shirt, shorts and was barefoot.

"But I have a fever," TK insisted. "I'm burning up as it is."

"You'll just catch a cold while you're at it," Kari replied tartily, stirring the pan of soup with a small ladle.

"Maybe they'll cancel out," TK said dryly, closing his eyes. Nevertheless, he slowly pushed himself up into a standing position. "Alright, alright, clothes."

He walked over towards his bedroom, pushing the door open. He made his way across the room to his dresser when his laptop suddenly started giving a soft, tonal beep. He walked over to it and pressed a single key on the right side of the keyboard.

"Afternoon!" TK said loudly as he walked back over to his dresser and pulled the top drawer open.

"How bad is it?" Ken's voice came through the small speakers on the sides of the laptop as TK pulled out a green sweater and threw it on the bed.

"Fairly bad," TK admitted. "I mean, maybe near the middle of the badness scale." He threw a pair of socks onto the bed, then closed the drawer and opened the middle one. "Not particularly enjoyable."

"Hold on, Davis is calling in," Ken said.

"Can both you guys hear me?" Davis asked through the speakers a second later.

"Yup, I got you," TK replied.

"Yeah we're good," Ken said. "You don't sound too bad."

"I'm boiling up and my vision isn't stellar," TK grunted, throwing a pair of sweatpants onto the bed.

"Is it contagious?" Davis asked.

"I don't know yet," TK replied. "Fevers aren't, but sometimes the cause of the fever is. I'll ask the doctor in an hour." He sat down on the bed and started putting the socks on.

"How do you feel about saturday?" Davis asked.

"I don't know," TK said. "It's Thursday afternoon and I can't see straight. I think i could take ten twelve-foot jumpers and make maybe one of them right now if you left me wide open."

"Well, alright. Let us know what the doctor says. You wanna do something after the appointment if you don't have to go into quarantine? Like we can come over and play some games?" Ken asked.

"I don't want to look at moving objects on screens right now," TK said. "Thanks though." He quickly discarded his shorts and put the sweatpants on, then got the sweater on. "I just need to try to bake this thing out of me, I guess." He laid back down on the bed, curling up. "Talk later."

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"I'm going to be at the game tomorrow," TK insisted, holding his hands up in the air, sprawled out on his bed as Ken and Davis stood over him. "I will. Doctor said it's not contagious, so I'm going to be there."

"If you're not feeling up to it, really, you can stay home," Ken said. "I mean seriously, it's one game in a long season, Kiyose isn't anything special, we'll be fine. Fevers can zap your energy, mess with your mind-"

"I'll be there," TK said. "Maybe I can't play twenty-five minutes, but I'll be there and I'll be available."

"So, uh, not contagious, huh?" Davis said. "What was it?"

"I'm not telling you," TK said darkly. "You don't want to know and I don't want to say it."

"You're probably right," Davis admitted, shrugging. "I mean we're not even playing at our gym tomorrow, maybe you should sit it out."

"It's not very far away," TK replied. "It's not going to be a problem. I might just not play very much, but I can do this. I feel a little better than I did yesterday."

"Alright," Ken relented, nodding, "Just..."

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"...just make sure you let us know if you need to go sit for awhile." Ken stepped back behind the half-court circle as Luke and the Kiyose center stepped into it. "Just let us know."

TK nodded, then turned to the bleachers on the left side of the court and gave a small wave. The ball went up in the air and Luke tapped it back to Ken with ease.

Ken took the ball up as everyone went to their positions. TK jogged down to the right low block, wiping a little bit of sweat off his forehead. His vision was more or less fine now, but he still felt overheated.

Ken dribbled around. Davis darted from the right wing in towards the paint, getting his defender to follow him, then stopped on a dime and ran back out to the wing. Ken got him the ball, and Davis spun to find his defender had done a good job of getting back on him. He pulled the ball back, then dribbled hard to his right towards the baseline.

Davis watched for the center to poke out a little bit towards him, then lobbed the ball up over to Luke. Luke caught it and spun, putting up a quick layup as the power forward rushed over to try to pick him up. The shot ended up being a little too hard and it bounced off the backboard and front of the rim before bouncing out to the Kiyose point guard.

Kiyose took the ball up on offense, not even trying to run out on offense inspite of the decent fast break opportunity. Everyone got into position, but the point guard just kept dribbling at the top, with nobody moving and no real play being enacted.

"How thoughtful," TK said to himself as he took up defensive position down low. In his current state this was considerably bettere than chasing a fast team around the court. When the shot clock showed eight, the point guard drove to his left and Ken stayed right with him. He stopped at the left elbow, holding the ball up as Ken crowded him. With the shot clock about to run out, he finally just hurled the ball up towards the rim, missing hitting anything by about a foot and a half as the shot clock buzzer sounded.

The referee whistled, signalling Rakunan ball out of bounds.

"TK, it might just be your lucky day," Ken said in a sotto voice as TK grabbed the ball and stepped out of bounds.

"Might just be," TK agreed as he tapped the ball to Ken, who turned and walked it up.

Ken took it up, again taking it slow so TK had time to get into his position near the basket. He glanced around the court for a second, then bolted to his left right around his defender towards the rim. Both of the big men were slow in helping, and Ken got an easy layup right at the basket for the first points of the game.

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Quincy fired from the right corner, getting just a sliver of space from his defender so he could get the ball off. The high arcing shot hit the left side of the rim and bounced up high. TK didn't have the lift he normally did, but he was still just barely able to get above the center and tap the ball up into the air towards himself. He landed and immediately went back up again to catch his tap, landed, then went up a third time to lay the ball into the basket before the defense could close.

Whistle. Timeout Kiyose. TK walked to the bench laboredly, sweating considerably more than anyone else on the court.

"Alright TK, good run, take a seat," Stewart instructed. TK happily complied. "Alright, let's go...Ken, Davis, Quincy, Manny, Luke to end the first half. The starters with Manny. Play like you play with the starters. We've got a ten point lead, let's pad it before the end of the half."

Ken looked up at the bleachers, scratching his head. "These fans are so quiet."

"It's nice, isn't it?" TK said, closing his eyes. "How considerate."

"It's known to be a rather polite school district," Davis commented. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, no problems," TK said. "Gonna kill my averages though."

"We'll make sure you make up for it later on," Ken said, turning around and walking back onto the court.

"Hey, Manny," TK called out. The backup power forward walked over. "This is a slow team. They don't move fast and they don't help very well. Everything is one-on-one for these guys. Give some distance between yourself and the basket, let Ken go one-on-one with them until they learn their lesson. When that happens, just be ready to catch and shoot."

Manny nodded, then jogged out onto the court.

"See? I told you you could have stayed home."

TK turned his head around to look up at Kari, who clapped her hands onto his shoulders.

"I've counted like six possessions where they don't throw a single pass," Kari said. "They have good size but they don't use it. You could have missed this one."

"Team needs me," TK said simply. "I feel fine, just a little tired."

"Team doesn't need you today," Kari said. The whistle blew and Kiyose slowly took the ball up on the Rakunan end. "I can tell you're not yourself today."

"Of course you can," TK said slowly. "I'm not. Everyone can see that."

Kiyose got the ball into the low post against Luke, and the opposing center tried a couple of fakes before throwing up a hopeless layup that Luke immediately swatted into the corner to Davis.

"Manny's missed a couple of rotations on both ends," Kari said quietly. "Just a second or two late, but I saw it."

"He'll get it," TK insisted. "You learn this stuff by doing it over and over, that's the only way."

Ken drove to the left side of the lane, hounded by his defender, careening towards the baseline. As soon as the power forward shaded a half a step towards him, Ken fired a bounce pass right underneath his arm and to Manny. Manny caught, elevated, and scooped the ball into the hoop as the center bumped him trying to contest the shot. The referee signaled the foul as the ball went through.

"I know he can score, we just need the mental aspect of the game to get there." TK coughed into his fist. "He can do this."

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TK towered over the opposing center, hand up in the air as he backed down while dribbling the ball. TK was getting pushed back towards the basket a bit, a little weaker than he was usually because of the fever. About five feet from the basket, the center faked right, but TK didn't go for it, and was able to contest the heave to the left without jumping. The ball clanked off the side of the rim and TK was able to leap to snatch it before it went out of bounds.

He spun around, ready to hand the ball over to Jason, but saw Manny had taken off in a sprint down the court, a few steps ahead of everyone else, and threw a baseball pass down towards the other basket. It bounced a step ahead of Manny, and he neatly caught it around the free throw line. He took one dribble in and laid it up through the basket.

TK clapped a few times, smiled, then got back down into a defensive stance and waited for Kiyose to re-assemble, noting happily that he didn't even really have to move.

"Next stoppage, you go out," Ken called out as he ran down to the top, pointing at TK. TK looked up at the scoreboard. Rakunan was up 76 to 56 with six minutes left in the game. He nodded.

Kiyose ran down and the point guard immediately threw up a long three from the top of the key as soon as he got down there, the ball careening off the side of the rim and into TK's hands without him having to even work hard. He spun around and saw Ken sprinting down the other side of the court, having taken off as soon as the point guard had launched the ill-advised shot. TK simply hurled the ball down the court, allowing Ken to neatly catch it at the free throw line and dribble in to lay it up.

Kiyose immediately called timeout and TK went right to the bench. He signaled to Manny as he plopped down on the seat.

.

"I'm perfectly fine, really, I just want to sleep," TK said, holding his hands up toward Luke. "I know I might not look healthy right now, stop asking, I feel fine."

"Alright man," Luke relented, sitting back in his seat. The bus bounced along the surprisingly clear road, shocks doing their best to absorb a string of potholes.

"This road is a disaster," Ken muttered to himself, peering out the window down towards the street, seated a row in front of TK. "Someone should do something."

"Yeah, I feel every single one," TK muttered.

"If you puke on the bus you're cleaning it up," Ken said.

"I'm not going to puke, now quiet," TK said.

.

"Oh yeah, right after we got here, like three separate times," Kari said, holding her phone to her ear by sandwiching it between her head and her shoulder, both hands on either side of a Nintendo 3DS. "So hopefully he's empty now."

"You know he was pretty close to a lot of people at the game today, right?" Yolei said from the other side of the phone connection.

"He's not contagious anymore, you think I'd be here if I thought I'd get infected?" Kari replied. "He's sleeping now, I think we're okay. I knew him trying to play today was a bad idea."

"So wait, he's sleeping on your bed?" Yolei asked. "You sure that's a great idea?"

"Well, obviously I'm gonna wash it." The phone started to vibrate. "I'm getting another call, talk to you later."

She lifted her head up and let the phone drop into her right hand, pressing one area of the screen and putting it back to her ear. "Hello?"

"So...how'd it go?"

"O-oh, Miss Takaishi, well-"

"And call me Nancy, for the last time, Kari," she insisted.

Kari placed her portable gaming device down on the table at the end of the couch. "Right, Nancy, it...didn't go all that great,"

Nancy sighed. "What a shock," she deadpanned. "How bad was it?"

"Well, the game was fine, he didn't play that much, but he sort of...well, we got to my place, he threw up a few times, and now he's asleep," Kari said.

"Knew it was a bad idea," Nancy said resignedly. "Well, he's not dead at least. Thank you for taking care of him, wish I was in town for it. Wish I was in town to talk him out of it, actually."

"Don't worry about a thing," Kari said. "You focus on your trip, he's in good hands here."

"It's really a blessing to have someone like you around, Kari." Nancy cleared her throat. "Alright, I'm sure he'll be fine. Try to make sure he's good for school by Monday."

"No problem," Kari replied.

"Alright, I'll let you go, thanks again," Nancy said, the phone going dead.

Kari set it down on the table, picked up her 3DS, and flopped down on the couch stomach first.

"Blessing...well, that has to be a positive," Kari muttered to herself.

.

AN: Sorry for the long wait, work has been busy lately and I do what I can. I'll try to update more in the immediate future.


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